Liver secondaries, metastatic liver cancer, or liver metastases, is a medical condition that occurs when cancerous cells have spread (metastasised) to the liver from any other part of the body. As such, these tumours may develop either right after the development of the original tumour or months or several years later.
Metastatic liver cancer cells are made up of the same types of cancerous cells as the primary organ cancer.
The risk of spreading cancer to the liver depends on the primary cancer and its stage at diagnosis. Some primary cancers are more likely to spread to the liver, and are listed as follows:
There are usually no symptoms in the early stages of liver metastases. In later stages, patients suffering from liver metastases can develop symptoms related to liver swelling, such as:
Before treating liver metastases, a multi-disciplinary team, typically including a liver surgeon and medical oncologist, will consider several factors, including:
Thereafter, the medical team will develop a treatment plan. Therapeutic options include systemic therapies and procedures such as:
