Why does liver cancer cause persistent abdominal pain?

The liver sits in the upper right part of the abdomen beneath the ribs. Enlargement can stretch the thin covering around it, producing a dull ache, pressure or fullness. A tumour can also irritate nearby tissues or affect bile flow, which may change the location or character of discomfort.

Persistent Abdominal Pain is a common presentation of Liver Cancer, but abdominal pain has many causes, including gallbladder, stomach, bowel and muscle problems. The pain pattern cannot diagnose cancer by itself; clinicians combine the history with examination and tests.

Describe the pain's location, timing, severity, triggers and relation to meals or movement. Tell your clinician about jaundice, nausea, appetite change or pain spreading to the shoulder or back. Use only pain medicines approved for you, since liver problems can affect which medicines and doses are suitable.

Contact your care team promptly for pain that is new, worsening or difficult to control. Seek urgent help for severe sudden pain, a rigid abdomen, fever, repeated vomiting, fainting, confusion, yellowing that rapidly worsens, black stools or vomiting blood.

What might be causing this pain in my case? Do I need imaging or blood tests? Which pain medicines are safe with my liver function, and what symptoms mean I should seek emergency care?