Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Hepatocellular carcinoma is the most common form of liver cancer. It’s an aggressive (fast-growing) cancer most common in people with advanced liver disease, like cirrhosis of the liver. Increasingly, people diagnosed with HCC have a liver condition that sometimes leads to cirrhosis called metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD).

In the beginning, hepatocellular carcinoma grows slowly. Surgery to remove the tumor or a liver transplant can treat HCC in its early stages. But most people don’t learn they have it until it’s advanced and spreading more quickly. Eventually, it can lead to liver failure. At this point, HCC is challenging for providers to treat.

Given how serious it is, you should receive regular checks for signs of HCC if you have cirrhosis or MASLD.

How common is HCC?

HCC accounts for about 85% to 90% of all primary liver cancers. “Primary” means the cancer starts in your liver (as opposed to spreading to your liver, as with metastatic cancer). It’s the sixth most common type of cancer diagnosis and the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths.

HCC is two to three times more common in men and people assigned male at birth (AMAB). Most people diagnosed are 60 or older.