The majority are benign (non-cancerous) and often don’t require treatment.
This article discusses the different types of benign and cancerous liver lesions, including their causes and symptoms.
It also explains how liver tumors are diagnosed and treated.
mr.suphachai praserdumrongchai / iStock / Getty Images
mr.suphachai praserdumrongchai / iStock / Getty Images
What Are Liver Lesions?
Liver lesions are the abnormal growth of cells in the liver.
There are many different types of cells in the liver that can evolve into lesions.
The most common arehepatocytes, which account for 80% of the mass of the liver.
For reasons poorly understood, liver cells can suddenly change and multiply into a cohesive mass.
The tumors are described asbenignif they are non-cancerous ormalignantif they are cancerous.
One of the main differences between the two is that benign tumors do not spread while malignant ones do.
They do not spread to nearby or distant organs.
They tend to grow slowly and have distinct, well-defined borders.
There are different types of benign liver lesions characterized by the cells they develop from.
Because of this, cancer cells are considered “immortal” and can keep multiplying and spreading without end.
Unlike benign tumors, malignant liver tumors generally do not have well-defined borders.
Liver cancer accounts for roughly 2% of all primary cancers in the United States.
The most common liver cancers include:
Can Benign Liver Tumors Turn Cancerous?
Some types of benign liver tumors have the potential to turn cancerous.
The symptoms can vary significantly, and, in some cases, there may be no symptoms at all.
Benign liver tumors usually do not cause any symptoms or require treatment.
It is only when they become large that they can press on adjacent organs and cause chronic abdominal pain.
The rupture of the tumor can cause severe abdominal pain but is rarely life-threatening.
Severe cases may need treatment in a hospital to stem the bleeding.
The symptoms of liver cancer vary by thestage of the malignancy.
This is generally the only definitive way to diagnose cancer.
Options include:
Treatment
Many benign liver tumors don’t need treatmentand never will.
By comparison, malignant liver tumors always do.
Benign liver lesions are often found by accident when an imaging test is performed for another reason.
Generally speaking, benign liver tumors do not need treatment.
It is only when they cause symptoms or are exceptionally large that treatment may be pursued.
Many benign tumors require no treatment and will never cause you any problems.
If liver cancer is diagnosed, the prognosis varies based on the stage of the disease.
While uncommon, some types of benign liver tumors can become cancerous.
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