Can liver cysts turn into liver cancer?

Written by Cui Fang Bo

Oncology

Updated on June 11, 2025

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Liver blisters are a colloquial term often referring to cysts in the liver. Modern medicine considers liver cysts to be a degenerative change and a benign lesion that does not undergo malignant transformation or develop into liver cancer.

Primary liver cancer mainly includes two types: hepatocellular carcinoma and cholangiocarcinoma within the liver. Additionally, there is metastatic liver cancer, which is caused by the metastasis of malignant tumors from other parts of the body to the liver, commonly including liver metastases from colon cancer, lung cancer, etc. Whether primary or secondary metastatic cancer, these liver conditions are distinctively different from liver cysts in imaging studies. Identification is not difficult through examinations such as color Doppler ultrasound, CT, or MRI.

Other Voices

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Written by Liu Liang

Oncology

1min 9sec

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What are the early symptoms of liver cancer?

The early symptoms of liver cancer lack specificity, so in clinical practice, early-stage liver cancer is generally detected only during routine screenings or physical examinations. By the time patients present with noticeable symptoms and seek medical attention, the cancer is often in the intermediate or advanced stages, making surgical removal unlikely for most patients. The early symptoms might include non-specific signs such as fatigue. It is usually only in the intermediate or advanced stages that patients experience obvious symptoms like pain in the liver area, palpable abdominal masses, abdominal distension, weight loss, and jaundice. By the time these symptoms appear, it is typically quite late, corresponding to the intermediate or advanced stages of the disease. Early stages typically do not show specific symptoms, though some patients might experience mild abdominal pain, bloating, or fatigue, which are not very specific signs.

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Written by Sun Wei

Surgical Oncology

49sec

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Can primary liver cancer be treated?

Primary liver cancer is also treatable. Generally, if the primary liver cancer is small and has not widely metastasized, surgical resection can be considered, mainly involving hepatectomy and lymph node dissection. Postoperative comprehensive treatment including chemotherapy and radiotherapy is also applied. For primary liver cancer, interventional chemotherapy, as well as methods like cryotherapy, microwave, and ablation can be considered to control the progression of the disease. Additionally, oral targeted therapy such as sorafenib can be used. If primary liver cancer is widely metastasized at the time of detection, there generally aren’t very effective treatment options, and the average survival period might be around six months, with poor treatment outcomes.

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Written by Cui Fang Bo

Oncology

1min 3sec

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Will early-stage liver cancer cause a low-grade fever?

Patients with early-stage liver cancer may experience low-grade fevers, primarily due to the following two reasons: First, tumor fever. In the early stages of liver cancer, some tumor cells can release tumor mediators into the bloodstream, affecting the function of the temperature regulation center and causing the patient to develop a fever. This type of tumor fever is usually not very high, remaining below 38.5°C, without concurrent symptoms or signs of infection. A complete blood count typically indicates that the total number of white blood cells and the proportion of neutrophils are not elevated. The second scenario involves patients in the early stages of liver cancer experiencing fever due to concurrent infections. These patients often present with symptoms and signs related to infection, such as coughing up phlegm, abdominal pain and diarrhea, and urinary frequency, urgency, or pain. The proportion of white blood cells and neutrophils is significantly increased in these cases.

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Written by Zhang Lu

Obstetrics

1min 1sec

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Can alpha-fetoprotein diagnose liver cancer?

Alpha-fetoprotein, also known as AFP, reflects the function of the liver and whether there are any diseases present. The accuracy and specificity of alpha-fetoprotein in diagnosing liver cancer are relatively high. In non-pregnant individuals, whether male or female, an elevated alpha-fetoprotein level should raise suspicions of liver disease, and it is advisable to promptly undergo ultrasound or CT scans to determine the presence of liver cancer or other liver diseases. However, during pregnancy, as the fetus grows and develops, a certain amount of alpha-fetoprotein is released. Therefore, when testing the blood of pregnant women, an increase in alpha-fetoprotein is observed. This condition is a physiological change and does not indicate the occurrence of liver diseases such as liver cancer in women. Thus, alpha-fetoprotein can serve as an auxiliary method for diagnosing liver cancer, but only in non-pregnant individuals.

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Written by Li Hu Chen

Imaging Center

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Liver cancer B-ultrasound manifestations

Generally speaking, for diseases of the hepatobiliary system, most of us conduct examinations using ultrasound because it is very convenient, safe, involves no radiation, and the results are relatively quick. Generally, liver cancer can appear as hypoechoic, hyperechoic, or mixed echogenicity on ultrasound. Most such liver cancer nodules may have a complete capsule, but some may not have a complete capsule. Overall, this type of liver cancer tends to grow expansively and invasively, compressing the surrounding normal liver tissue, and possibly showing some halo signs around it. The vast majority of liver cancers do not occur independently; they usually develop gradually from cirrhosis. Therefore, there is often an enlargement of the portal vein, and in some cases of liver cancer with metastasis, thrombosis in the portal vein can be seen.