• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer

Liver Cancer UK HomepageLiver Cancer UK

Part of the British Liver Trust

  • About us
  • Health professionals
  • Talk to a nurse 0800 652 7330
  • Twitter
  • Liver cancer information
    • Types of liver cancer
      • HCC liver cancer
        • Overview
        • What is HCC?
        • Symptoms
        • Risks and causes
        • Diagnosis
          • Tests
          • Questions for your doctor
        • Treatment
          • Stages
          • Early stage HCC (0-A)
          • Intermediate HCC (stage B)
          • Advanced HCC (stage C)
          • Very advanced (stage D)
          • If your HCC comes back (recurrence)
          • Check-ups
          • Outcomes (prognosis)
        • Living with HCC
      • Bile duct cancer
        • Overview
        • What is bile duct cancer?
        • Symptoms
        • Risks and causes
        • Diagnosis
          • Tests
          • Questions for your doctor
        • Treatment
          • Stages
          • If cancer can be removed
          • If cancer can’t be removed
          • If cancer is advanced or has come back
          • Questions for your doctor
          • Check-ups
          • Outcomes (prognosis)
        • Living with bile duct cancer
      • Rare types of liver cancers
      • Secondary liver cancer
    • Just diagnosed?
    • Types of treatment
      • Surgery
        • Types of surgery
        • Preparing for surgery
        • After surgery
      • Targeted cancer medicines (biological therapies)
      • Chemotherapy
      • Embolization, TACE and TARE or SIRT
      • Ablation
      • Radiotherapy
      • Treatment for symptoms and advanced cancer
      • About clinical trials
    • Risk and causes of liver cancer
    • Liver cancer tests
    • Living with liver cancer
      • Diet and exercise
      • Coping with advanced cancer
      • Mental wellbeing
      • Money matters
      • Support from others
      • Complementary and alternative therapies
      • Patient stories
    • Our booklets and resources
    • Glossary / useful words
  • Support for you
  • How you can help
  • News and blogs
  • Donate
Home » News and Blogs » Less Survivable Cancers Awareness Day –…
News

Less Survivable Cancers Awareness Day – calling for action to improve early diagnosis

January 11, 2023

Today (January 11th) is National Less Survivable Cancers Awareness Day, which aims to highlight the critical importance of early diagnosis in improving survival and quality of life for people diagnosed with less survivable cancers including liver cancer.

To mark the day, the Less Survivable Cancers Taskforce (LSCT) has released new data to highlight the critical importance of symptom awareness for early diagnosis of lung, liver, brain, oesophageal, pancreatic and stomach cancers.

A UK-wide survey carried out by the LSCT has found that awareness of the symptoms of these deadliest cancers is dangerously low across the country. Only 1% of respondents were able to correctly identify all symptoms of liver cancer from a list presented to them. Symptom awareness for oesophogeal and stomach cancers fared slightly better at 2% and 3% respectively while only 7% of respondents knew all the symptoms of pancreatic cancer. 9% of people could spot the signs of lung cancer while knowledge of brain tumour symptoms was higher but still only 20%. 

Professor Stephen Ryder, Medical Advisor to the British Liver Trust and Consultant Hepatologist at NHS Nottingham University Hospital, added: “Lack of awareness of primary liver cancer and its causes is a common problem in the UK. The causes of liver disease and HCC, the most common primary liver cancer, are similar and interlinked. The good news is that there are things you can do to reduce the risks. Maintaining a healthy weight, avoiding drinking alcohol excessively and protecting yourself against viral hepatitis are the best defences against both liver disease and liver cancer.

“People can also develop cancer of the liver and gallbladder without the associated risk factors and should be concerned if they have any symptoms that are persistent and not normal for them. If you’re experiencing symptoms such as loss of appetite, nausea, a swollen stomach or yellowing of your skin and/or eyes, please don’t ignore them – make an appointment with your doctor to get them checked out

Fiona’s story

“While we were staying with them my sister noticed my skin was yellow which is a sign of jaundice. I was off my food as well. We enjoyed the weekend as best we could but I was obviously concerned as I had to wait till I got a doctor’s appointment the following week.”

Read her story

Even more concerningly, when asked whether they had a friend or loved one who had delayed seeking medical advice when experiencing symptoms which were later shown to be caused by a less survivable cancer, a massive 31% of respondents said yes. Sadly, of these cases, 67% were told by medical professionals that this delay had an impact on their treatment options.

In 2022, the LSCT reported that many patients with a less survivable cancer will only be diagnosed after an emergency admission to hospital or an emergency GP referral after symptoms have become severe. [2] These late diagnoses account, in part, for the catastrophic prognoses for thousands of people each year as patients with cancers that are diagnosed in an emergency suffer significantly worse outcomes. [3]

Symptoms of liver cancer

Symptoms of liver cancer include unintentional weight loss, loss of appetite, feeling very full after eating, feeling and being sick, pain or swelling in your abdomen, jaundice (yellowing of your skin and the whites of your eyes), itchy skin, feeling very tired and weak, fever with shivers, vomiting blood, dark black tarry poo or dark urine. However, the majority of these symptoms do not occur until liver cancer is at an advanced stage, so the British Liver Trust is calling for all  people who are diagnosed with cirrhosis and who are most at risk to be regularly screened for liver cancer.

More news items
« British Liver Trust welcomes announcement from NICE approving new medication for hepatocellular carcinoma
Liver cancer deaths are surging due to late diagnosis of the less survivable cancers »

Footer

Liver Cancer UK logo
British Liver Trust logo

Quick links


  • Just been diagnosed
  • Living with cancer
  • Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC)
  • Bile duct cancer

Contact us


Talk to a nurse on our helpline

0800 652 7330

General enquiries:

info@britishlivertrust.org.uk

01425 481 320

© British Liver Trust. All rights reserved. Registered Office: Venta Court, 20 Jewry Street, Winchester, SO23 8FE.
Registered Charity England and Wales 298858, Scotland SC042140. Company Limited by Guarantee Registered in England and Wales, Company No 2227706

Privacy policy | Cookies

Talk to a nurse on our helpline

0800 652 7330

Scroll Up