Liver tumours

Liver tumours may be considered as:

• cystic lesions
• benign tumours
• malignant tumours:
  • primary malignant tumours
  • metastatic malignant tumours
    
    

Liver tumours may be classified as benign, malignant and secondary.

Benign tumours:

• cystic - polycystic liver disease; often associated with polycystic kidneys
• adenoma - associated with oral contraceptive pill
• cavernous haemangioma - the most common benign hepatic tumour

Malignant tumours:

• hepatoblastoma - tumour of infancy
• haemangiosarcoma
• hepatocellular carcinoma - accounts for 90% of primary liver cancers
• hepatocholangiocarcinoma - malignancy of both liver cells and bile duct epithelium

Secondary tumours:

• metastases are the most common hepatic malignancy
• the most common primaries are lung, breast, colon and pancreas

Reference:

• 1) Beckingham, IJ, Krige, JEJ (2001). Liver tumours. BMJ, 322,477-80.