Read article Should I see a liver cancer specialist?
This page tells you about the guidelines that GPs have to help them decide who needs to see a specialist for suspected liver cancer and how soon. There are sections about
Should I see a liver cancer specialist?
It can be very difficult for GPs to decide who may have a suspected cancer and who has something much less serious. But there are particular symptoms that mean your GP should refer you to a specialist straight away. The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) says that the following symptoms need an urgent referral to a specialist.
- Unexplained abdominal pain and weight loss, with or without back pain
- Swelling of your upper abdomen (tummy)
- Feeling and being sick continuously, and losing weight
- Jaundice (yellowing skin) caused by a blockage
You should ideally get an appointment within 2 weeks for an urgent referral. If you have symptoms and you do not think your GP is taking them seriously enough, you could print out this page and take it to your appointment. You may be able to decide together whether you need to see a specialist, and how soon.
You can view and print the quick guides for all the pages in the About liver cancer section.
Primary liver cancer means cancer that has started in the liver. Primary liver cancer is actually quite rare in the UK. You may hear about liver cancer quite often, and think it is more common than it is. This is because most cases of 'liver cancer' in the UK are not primary liver cancer at all. They are secondary cancers that have spread from a cancer that started elsewhere in the body, such as bowel or breast cancer. These referral guidelines are for people with suspected primary liver cancer, not secondary liver cancer.
It can be very difficult for GPs to decide who may have cancer and who may have something much more minor that will go away on its own. With many symptoms, it is perfectly right that your GP should ask you to wait to see if they get better or respond to simple treatments. If GPs referred everyone who came to see them to a specialist immediately, the system would get jammed and people needing urgent appointments wouldn't be able to get them.
In the UK, The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) have produced guidelines for GPs that help them decide which patients need to be seen urgently by a specialist. You can see these guidelines on the NICE website. Type "referral" in the search box, and look for "Referral Guidelines for Suspected Cancer".
While reading these guidelines, it is important to remember that
- Primary liver cancer is quite rare
- It is more common in men. In the UK about 2,150 men and 1,250 women are diagnosed with liver cancer each year.
According to the UK guidelines, you should ideally get an appointment within 2 weeks for an urgent referral.
You may need an urgent referral to see a specialist in liver cancer if you have
- Unexplained abdominal pain and weight loss, with or without back pain
- Swelling of your upper abdomen (tummy)
- Feeling and being sick continuously, and losing weight
- Jaundice (yellowing skin) caused by a blockage
There is more information about the symptoms of liver cancer and its risks and causes in this section of CancerHelp UK.
If you are concerned that your GP is not taking your symptoms as seriously as you think they should, you could print this page and take it along to an appointment. Ask your GP to talk it through with you and then you may be able to decide together whether you need to see a specialist and if so, how soon.
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