Alternative Names
Metastases to the liver; Metastatic liver cancer; Liver cancer – metastatic
Definition of Liver metastases
Liver metastases are cancerous tumors that have spread to the liver from somewhere else in the body.
Causes, incidence, and risk factors
Cancers that may spread to the liver include:
Symptoms
In some cases, there are no symptoms. When symptoms occur, they may include:
Signs and tests
Tests that may be done to diagnose liver metastases include:
Treatment
Treatment depends on:
Expectations (prognosis)
How well you do depends on the location of the original cancer and how much it has spread to the liver. In a small number of cases, surgery to remove the liver tumors may lead to a cure. This is usually only possible in patients with certain tumor types (for example, colorectal cancer), and when there are a limited number of tumors in the liver.
Review
A.D.A.M. Editorial Team: David Zieve, MD, MHA, and David R. Eltz. Previously reviewed by David C. Dugdale, III, MD, Professor of Medicine, Division of General Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine; and Yi-Bin Chen, MD, Leukemia/Bone Marrow Transplant Program, Massachusetts General Hospital (6/22/2010). – 12/10/2010
