The liver
What is the liver?
The liver is the biggest organ in the body. It is in the upper part of the tummy (abdomen) on the right-hand side, under the lower ribs. It is divided into 2 lobes.
The liver and surrounding organs
What the liver does
The liver does many important things for the body:
- It stores sugars and fats so they can be used for energy.
- It breaks down harmful substances so they cannot harm other parts of the body.
- It makes proteins that help the blood to clot. This prevents bleeding and maintains the balance of fluid in the body.
- It makes bile. Bile is a yellow fluid that helps break down fats so the body can absorb them. Bile travels from the liver to the gallbladder and small bowel through a tube called the hepatic duct. If this duct gets blocked it can cause a condition called jaundice.
The blood supply to the liver comes from 2 places:
- the hepatic artery – this takes blood full of oxygen away from the heart
- the hepatic portal vein – this takes blood full of nutrients away from the digestive system.
The liver is good at repairing itself. It can work well even when only a small part is working normally. If a part of the liver is removed, the remaining liver can usually grow to replace it.
Liver cancer and the lymphatic system
The lymphatic system helps protect us from infection and disease. It is made up of fine tubes called lymphatic vessels. These vessels connect to groups of small lymph nodes throughout the body. The lymphatic system drains lymph fluid from the tissues of the body before returning it to the blood.
The lymphatic system
Lymph nodes are sometimes called lymph glands. They filter bacteria (germs) and disease from the lymph fluid. When you have an infection, some lymph nodes may swell as they fight the infection. Sometimes, primary liver cancer may spread to the lymph nodes closest to the liver.
We have more information on the lymphatic system.
Related pages
About our information
This information has been written, revised and edited by Macmillan Cancer Support’s Cancer Information Development team. It has been reviewed by expert medical and health professionals and people living with cancer.
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References
Below is a sample of the sources used in our primary liver cancer information. If you would like more information about the sources we use, please contact us at informationproductionteam@macmillan.org.uk
ESMO Guidelines Committee. Updated treatment recommendations for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) from the ESMO Clinical Practice Guidelines. eUpdate. March 2021. Available from: www.esmo.org/guidelines/guidelines-by-topic/esmo-clinical-practice-guidelines-gastrointestinal-cancers/hepatocellular-carcinoma-esmo-clinical-practice-guidelines-for-diagnosis-treatment-and-follow-up/eupdate-hepatocellular-carcinoma-treatment-recommendations [accessed April 2023].
Huang QD, Teng MLP. Hepatocellular carcinoma – symptoms, diagnosis and treatment. BMJ Best Practice Guidelines. 2022. Available from: www.bestpractice.bmj.com/topics/en-gb/369 [accessed March 2023].
Vogel A, Cervantes A, Chau I, Daniele B, Llovet JM, Meyer T, et al. Hepatocellular carcinoma: ESMO Clinical Practice Guidelines for diagnosis, treatment and follow-up. Annals of Oncology. 2018;29(4): 238–255. Available from: www.doi.org/10.1093/annonc/mdy308 [accessed April 2023].
Date reviewed
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We use gender-inclusive language and talk to our readers as ‘you’ so that everyone feels included. Where clinically necessary we use the terms ‘men’ and ‘women’ or ‘male’ and ‘female’. For example, we do so when talking about parts of the body or mentioning statistics or research about who is affected.
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