NHS share liver cancer red flag signs as UK cases set to rise by 2025

Emma Grimshaw & Fiona Callingham & Elysia Taylor-Hearn
·3-min read
NHS doctors have said that unfortunately most liver cancer cases are caught too late
-Credit: (Image: Getty)


Brits must learn to recognise nine key symptoms of a potentially deadly disease as the number of cases spike, according to health experts.

Cancer Research UK has shown that deaths from liver cancer more than tripled between 2017 and 2019, the Mirror reports.

This alarming increase means that the disease is now the fastest rising cause of cancer deaths in the UK. Cancer Research UK warns that the rate of liver cancer cases is predicted to grow by six percent between 2023 and 2025.

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Liver cancer causes thousands of deaths across the UK every year
Liver cancer causes thousands of deaths across the UK every year -Credit:Getty Images/Science Photo Library RF

The disease is already the eighth most common cause of cancer deaths in the UK, leading to around 5,800 fatalities across the country each year - 16 per day.

The risk of developing cancer depends on many factors that are out of your control such as age and genetics.

However, doctors stress that other elements of your lifestyle like your diet, whether you smoke or drink, and how often you exercise, can also have a significant impact on the chances of receiving a cancer diagnosis.

As with any cancer, early diagnosis is crucial to improve your chances of survival. But, according to the NHS, only 33 percent to 50 percent of liver cancers are currently diagnosed at an early stage.

To help people access treatment sooner, the NHS has released a list of the nine warning signs of liver cancer.

Liver cancer warning signs to look out for

Man with stomach pain
Pain in the top right side of your stomach could be a warning sign of liver cancer -Credit:Getty

  • A very swollen tummy that is not related to when you eat

  • Loss of appetite or losing weight without trying to

  • Feeling or being sick

  • Feeling generally unwell or having symptoms like flu

  • Symptoms of indigestion, such as feeling full very quickly when eating

  • The whites of your eyes turning yellow or your skin turning yellow, which may be less obvious on brown or black skin (jaundice) – you may also have itchy skin, darker pee and paler poo than usual

  • Pain at the top right side of your tummy or in your right shoulder

  • Feeling tired or having no energy

  • A lump in the right side of your stomach

Although experiencing these symptoms doesn't necessarily indicate that you have cancer, it is important to ask your doctor about them as soon as possible to be safe.

According to the NHS, you are at greater risk of developing liver cancer if you:

  • Are over 60 – it's most common in people over 85

  • Are a man

  • Have certain medical conditions, such as hepatitis, liver cirrhosis, gallstones, diabetes, a parasite in the liver (liver flukes) or HIV

  • Have a brother, sister or parent who had primary liver cancer

Hands of man and women toasting beer
Hands of man and women toasting beer at music festival against sky at sunset -Credit:Getty

However, you can counter these inherited factors by making lifestyle choices that lower your risk of the disease. These include:

  • Losing weight if you're overweight

  • Wearing protective clothes and masks if you work in a job where you're exposed to harmful chemicals

  • Cutting down on alcohol – avoid drinking more than 14 units a week

  • Quitting smoking

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