Browser does not support script.
Skip to main content
search here
Macmillan and Cancerbackup merged in 2008. Together we provide free, high quality information for people affected by cancer through our publications, website and phone service. Find out more|.
Find out how we produce our information|
It may be possible to remove the affected part of the liver with surgery. This type of surgery is called a liver resection and is most commonly used to remove secondary liver tumours that have come from a primary cancer in the bowel|.
Recent improvements in liver surgery mean that several tumours can sometimes be removed from more than one area of the liver in a single operation. However, it’s rarely beneficial to carry out a liver resection if there are also cancer cells in another part of the body.
Liver resection is a major operation that takes 3-7 hours. It’s carried out in specialist hospitals by doctors known as hepatobiliary surgeons, who are experienced in liver surgery. It’s only suitable for some people with secondary liver cancer. There are usually no long-term side effects following liver resection, as the remaining liver can regrow within a few months of the operation and carry out all its normal functions.
You can discuss with your doctor whether surgery may be helpful for you.
Liver transplants, where the liver is removed and replaced, are not used for people who have secondary liver cancer. This is because the cancer usually comes back soon afterwards due to the drugs that are used to prevent the body rejecting the transplanted liver.
Chemotherapy| can be used to shrink tumours before surgery to make the operation safer and more successful. Or it may be used after surgery to reduce the risk of the cancer coming back.
Before any operation, make sure you have discussed it fully with your doctor so that you understand what it involves. Remember, no operation or procedure will be done without your consent|.
The liver can rebuild itself very quickly. When removing part of the liver the doctors need to know that there will be enough left for it to function afterwards. It’s sometimes possible to encourage the liver to enlarge before an operation is done.
PVE involves putting a tube into a vein in the part of the liver to be removed and blocking the blood supply to that area. This encourages the healthy part of the liver to grow. This way, the doctors know there will be enough liver to function once they’ve removed the affected part.
This is where the liver is removed in two stages. Usually, part of the liver is removed in the first operation, and then another resection is done a few weeks after the first one, when the liver has had a chance to grow back.
In some situations, it may be possible to have keyhole (laparoscopic) surgery to remove the affected part of the liver. Several small openings are made instead of one larger cut (incision). Generally about three small cuts and one larger cut are needed.
The surgeon uses an instrument called a laparoscope to see and work inside the tummy (abdomen). The laparoscope is a thin tube with an eyepiece at one end and a light and a magnifying lens at the other. It’s put into the abdomen through a small cut in the skin. The larger cut is usually made close to the tummy button and is used to remove the liver.
The main advantage of this type of surgery is that it leaves a much smaller wound, so pain after the operation is reduced and recovery time is shorter.
Keyhole surgery should only be carried out by surgeons with specialist training and experience in using laparoscopic techniques. So if it’s suitable for you and you choose to have this type of surgery, you may need to travel to another hospital to have the operation.
After your operation you may be taken to the intensive care ward or high-dependency unit for about 24 hours. This is because the liver has a very good blood supply and there is a risk that it may bleed after surgery. The doctors and nurses will keep a close check on your blood pressure.
You’ll have a drip (intravenous infusion) going into a vein in your arm (or a central line in your chest, if you have one) to give you fluids and essential nutrients. This will be removed once you’re eating and drinking properly again, which is usually within a few days.
You may also have one or two thin drainage tubes leading from the operation site, with bottles attached to collect any fluid from the wound site. This helps the wound to heal properly.
The nurses will regularly measure the amount of blood (if any) in these bottles. When the drainage has almost stopped, the tube(s) will be removed. This usually takes place after a few days.
A small tube called a catheter will be put into your bladder to drain your urine into a collecting bag. This will save you having to get up to pass urine. It’s usually removed after a few days.
You’re likely to have some pain| and discomfort after your operation, which will be controlled with painkillers.
To start with you’ll need a strong painkiller, such as morphine, which can be given to you either as injections given by the nurses, or through a pump attached to a needle in your arm which you control yourself. This is called Patient Controlled Analgesia (PCA) and you’ll be shown how to use this.
Some people may have a different method of pain relief called an epidural. A fine tube is inserted through your back into the area just outside the membranes around your spinal cord, called the epidural space. A local anaesthetic can be continuously given into this space to numb the nerves in the operation area.
You may also be given injections of anti-sickness |drugs (anit-emetics).
Most people are able to go home 4-8 days after their operation. You’ll probably need painkillers for the next few weeks. It may take up to six weeks before you start to get back to normal.
For answers, support or just a chat, call the Macmillan Support Line free (Monday to Friday, 9am-8pm)
If you have any questions about cancer, need support or just want someone to talk to, ask Macmillan.