Hidden pain in liver area may be liver cancer. Early symptoms of liver cancer mainly show discomfort or vague pain in liver area, but vague pain in liver area is not specific, many liver diseases and extrahepatic diseases can cause vague pain in liver area. Most of the diseases of hepatobiliary system, such as acute and chronic hepatitis, autoimmune liver disease, drug-induced hepatitis, fatty liver, alcoholic liver, cholecystitis, cholangitis, hepatic hemangioma, hepatic abscess, hepatic cyst, hepatic adenoma and so on, can lead to vague pain in liver area. Some diseases other than hepatobiliary system may also cause vague pain in the liver area, which is mainly related to the same or similar lesion area with the liver area, such as costochondritis, intercostal neuralgia, bronchopneumonia, hemopneumothorax, and subdiaphragmatic abscess. Hidden pain in liver area may also be caused by liver cancer, including primary liver cancer and metastatic liver cancer. Clinically, liver cancer cannot be diagnosed on the basis of vague pain in liver area. For patients with previous viral hepatitis or cirrhosis, if they have vague pain in the liver area with irregularity, they should be highly alert to the possibility of primary liver cancer.