Tumor in the liver is most often metastatic. The liver receives metastases more frequently than any other organ, since 25%–50% of all metastasizing cancers reach the liver. The GI tract (including the pancreas), breast, kidney, lung, melanomas, and sarcomas are especially apt to produce hepatic metastases.

Tests for detection include alkaline phosphatase, gamma-glutamyltransferase, liver scan (radionuclide, ultrasound, CT), and liver biopsy. Primary liver cell carcinoma (hepatoma) is more common in cirrhosis. On liver scan, it typically appears as a large, dominant, space-occupying lesion. The alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) result is often positive. Liver biopsy is essential to verify a diagnosis of cancer in the liver, since nonneoplastic diseases may produce abnormalities identical to those of neoplasia in any of the tests.