A mass in the liver, must it be liver cancer?
The answer is that a mass found in the liver does not necessarily mean that you have liver cancer.
There is a distinction between benign and malignant liver masses, also known as liver occupancies.
Benign occupancy
Common benign occupancies include liver cysts and hepatic hemangiomas, which usually require only regular review.
Malignant occupancy
A malignant occupancy is what we usually call liver cancer.
The vast majority of liver cancer patients in China have a background of chronic liver disease, mainly hepatitis B, cirrhosis. The proportion of liver cancer on the basis of alcoholic liver disease and non-alcoholic fatty liver is also on the rise.
So when a liver mass is found after a physical examination, there is no need to panic too much. Doctors will make a comprehensive assessment to rule out or diagnose liver cancer based on the presence of risk factors for the disease, imaging, tumor markers, pathology biopsy, and many other aspects.