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CION Cancer Clinics
A lump or fullness under the right ribs: is it the liver? | CION Cancer Clinics
A lump or fullness under the right ribs is usually not liver cancer. It is most often a normal rib edge, a fatty lump under the skin, bloating, or a liver enlarged by fat. A tumour is possible, so a lump that stays needs a doctor's examination and often an ultrasound. This page explains the common causes, what the doctor will check, and which signs cannot wait. At CION Cancer Clinics, our team goes through your scan, blood test and biopsy reports with you and plans the next step.
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Medically reviewed by Dr. Naresh GunduConsultant Medical Oncologist · MBBS, DNB (Internal Medicine), DM (Medical Oncology, AIIMS) · last reviewed October 2026, next review due October 2027
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On this page
- Is a lump under my right ribs a sign of liver cancer?
- What usually causes a lump or fullness under the right ribs?
- What will the doctor check to find out what the lump is?
- What do the words on an ultrasound report mean?
- What families often believe about a lump under the ribs
- What this page cannot tell you
- Common questions about a lump under the right ribs
The short answer
Is a lump under my right ribs a sign of liver cancer?
Usually not. A lump or fullness under the right ribs is most often the normal edge of the liver or ribs, a swollen muscle, a fatty lump under the skin, bloating, or a liver enlarged by fat or infection. Liver cancer is one possible cause, but a less common one, and it needs a doctor's examination and a scan to rule in or out.
What you might actually be feeling
The lower edge of the rib cage can feel bumpy, and in slim people the edge of a normal liver can sometimes be felt when they breathe in. The end of a lower rib can stick out more on one side. Many people discover this for the first time while searching their body after a worrying conversation, and assume it is new.
When the lump is the liver itself
An enlarged liver, which doctors call hepatomegaly, feels like a firm edge below the ribs that moves down as you breathe in. Fatty liver, hepatitis, heart problems and some infections can all enlarge it. A tumour can too, either one that started in the liver or cancer that has spread there from somewhere else.
A new lump that stays for more than a couple of weeks should be examined by a doctor, whatever you think it is.Most likely first
What usually causes a lump or fullness under the right ribs?
Doctors start with the common explanations. Most of these are harmless or treatable, and most are not cancer.
Normal anatomy
A prominent rib edge, the cartilage where the ribs join, or the normal liver edge. These are present on both good days and bad days and do not grow.
Something in the skin or muscle
A lipoma, which is a soft fatty lump, a cyst, a strained muscle or a small hernia. These sit near the surface and move with the skin.
Gas, bloating and constipation
A full bowel or trapped gas can feel like a mass, and it comes and goes with meals and bowel habits.
An enlarged liver or gallbladder
- Fatty liver, very common with diabetes and weight gain
- Hepatitis, or a liver abscess with fever
- A swollen gallbladder from gallstones
- A benign liver cyst or haemangioma
Less often, a tumour
Primary liver cancer, cancer that has spread to the liver, or a kidney or bowel tumour on that side. These usually come with other changes such as weight loss or tiredness.
Not sure whether this applies to you?
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When this cannot wait
Go to hospital today if the lump comes with severe pain, high fever and shivering, yellow eyes with fever, vomiting blood or passing black stools, or new confusion or drowsiness. See a doctor this week if the lump is hard or growing, or comes with weight loss, loss of appetite, yellow eyes, a swelling abdomen, or if you have cirrhosis or hepatitis B.
At the clinic
What will the doctor check to find out what the lump is?
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A history of the lump
When you noticed it, whether it has changed, and whether you have hepatitis B or C, diabetes, fatty liver, or drink alcohol. Be open about drinking. It changes which tests are useful, and nobody is there to blame you.
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An examination lying flat
The doctor feels the abdomen while you breathe in and out. A liver edge moves with breathing. A lump in the skin or muscle does not.
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Blood tests
A liver function test and a blood count, and sometimes a hepatitis test. See the blood tests explained.
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An ultrasound
This is usually the first scan. It shows the liver size, fat, cysts and gallstones. CION arranges scans through its diagnostic partners. Read what a liver ultrasound can and cannot show.
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A contrast CT or MRI if needed
If the ultrasound finds a lump in the liver, a contrast scan tells the team much more. A biopsy is not always the next step, and the reasons are explained on the liver mein gaanth page.
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On your report
What do the words on an ultrasound report mean?
- Hepatomegaly
- The liver is larger than usual. It describes size, not a cause.
- Fatty liver
- Fat stored in the liver cells. Very common, often graded by how much fat the scan shows.
- SOL or space-occupying lesion
- Any spot that takes up space in the liver. It can be a cyst, a haemangioma or a tumour. The report does not yet say which.
- Haemangioma
- A tangle of blood vessels. The most common liver lump, and benign.
- Coarse echotexture
- The liver looks uneven on the scan, which can be a sign of scarring or cirrhosis.
Commonly believed
What families often believe about a lump under the ribs
"If I can feel a lump, it must be cancer."
Most lumps people feel under the ribs are normal anatomy, fat under the skin, bloating or an enlarged liver from fat. Only an examination and a scan can say which.
"It does not hurt, so it is nothing."
Pain is a poor guide. Liver tumours are often painless, and harmless lumps can ache. A lump that persists deserves a look whether or not it hurts.
"Cutting out protein will shrink the liver."
People with liver disease usually need enough protein, not less. Cutting it weakens the muscles. Ask your doctor or a dietitian before changing what you eat.
"The ultrasound was normal once, so I never need another."
If you have cirrhosis or hepatitis B, regular surveillance scans are advised even when you feel well, because early liver cancer is usually silent.
Being straight with you
What this page cannot tell you
It cannot tell you what your lump is. No list of causes can replace a doctor's hand on your abdomen and, if needed, a scan. Please do not try to judge it by pressing on it every day. That makes it sore and makes the worry worse.
Who this page is not written for
If your scan already shows a lump in the liver, read a spot was found on my liver instead. If you have been treated for cancer elsewhere, such as the bowel, breast or stomach, a new liver lump needs your oncologist soon, because cancer that spreads to the liver is more common than cancer that starts there. Bowel cancer that has spread to the liver is covered on the colon cancer pages.
If the follow-up scan has been booked
Go to it, even if the lump seems smaller or you feel better. A repeat scan is how doctors make sure a doubtful spot is harmless. If a scan raises a question, CION's tumour board can review the images and explain what the findings mean.
Carry every report and scan CD to each appointment.Questions we are asked
Common questions about a lump under the right ribs
Can I feel my liver under my right ribs?
Sometimes, especially if you are slim and take a deep breath. A normal liver edge feels soft and smooth and moves down as you breathe in. A liver that feels hard, knobbly or reaches well below the ribs should be examined by a doctor, who can decide whether a scan is needed.
What does an enlarged liver feel like?
Many people feel nothing at all. Others notice fullness or heaviness under the right ribs, feel full quickly after eating, or find their clothes tighter at the waist. An ultrasound measures the liver and usually shows why it is enlarged, most often fat rather than a tumour.
Can fatty liver cause a lump under the ribs?
Fatty liver can enlarge the whole liver, which can feel like fullness or a firm edge. It does not usually form a separate lump. Patches of extra fat, or fat-free areas, can look like a spot on a scan, and a contrast scan can tell these apart from a tumour.
Is a painless lump more worrying than a painful one?
Neither tells you much on its own. Liver tumours are often painless, but so are fatty lumps and normal rib edges. A painful lump with fever may be an infection that needs quick treatment. What matters is whether it persists or grows, and what else is happening.
Which doctor should I see first?
A general physician or your family doctor. They can examine you, order blood tests and an ultrasound, and refer you on if needed. If a scan shows a lump in the liver, call the CION helpline and our team will tell you which specialist should see the reports.
Do I need a biopsy for a liver lump?
Not always. Many liver lumps, including haemangiomas and some liver cancers in people with cirrhosis, can be identified on a good contrast scan. A biopsy is used when the scan cannot answer the question. The decision belongs to the team reading your scans.
I have hepatitis B and feel a lump. What should I do?
See a doctor this week. It may well be something harmless, but hepatitis B raises the chance of liver cancer, so a lump should be checked with an ultrasound and blood tests. Keep up your regular surveillance scans and antiviral follow-up with your hepatologist or physician.
Can a lump under the right ribs be the gallbladder?
Yes. A gallbladder swollen by gallstones or infection can be felt under the right ribs, often with pain after meals. Rarely, a swollen gallbladder with yellow eyes points to a blockage that needs prompt tests. Gallbladder cancer has its own gallbladder cancer section.
Your Specialists
Meet CION's liver cancer specialists. Bring your scan reports and liver blood tests.
Our medical and surgical oncologists plan liver cancer care together, weighing the tumour and how well your liver works before choosing surgery, a liver-directed procedure or medicines.
Medical Oncologist
Dr. C. Raghavendra Reddy
MBBS(Gold Medal), DNB(General Medicine), DM(Medical Oncology)(Gold Medal)
Medical Oncologist
Dr. Bharati Devi Gorantla
MBBS, MD(General Medicine), DM(Medical Oncology)(Adyar,Chennai), ECMO, MRCP SCE(UK)
Medical Oncologist
Dr. Owais Mohammed
MBBS, MD (General Medicine), DrNB (Medical Oncology), ECMO, MRCP SCE (Medical Oncology) (UK)
Medical Oncologist
Medical Oncologist
Surgical Oncologist
Dr. Muralidhar Muddusetty
MBBS (AIIMS), MS (Surgery) (AIIMS), DNB (Surgical Oncology), MRCS (Edinburgh)
Surgical Oncologist
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Sources
- American Cancer Society — Signs and Symptoms of Liver Cancer
- Cancer Research UK — Symptoms of liver cancer
- American Cancer Society — Diagnosing Liver Cancer
- Cancer Research UK — Secondary liver cancer
This page is general information, not a prescription. Do not change or stop any treatment based on what you read here. If anything is worrying you, contact your own treating team — or call our helpline and we will help you reach the right specialist.
Keep reading
Related pages
Liver mein gaanth: what a lump on the liver usually isIf the scan has found a lump inside the liverEnlarged liver without cancerThe common reasons a liver growsPain in the upper right side of the abdomenIf the lump also achesSymptoms that need an appointment this weekA clear line for when to stop waiting
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Has a scan found something on your liver?
Send us your ultrasound or scan report and our team will explain what it says and what, if anything, should happen next. One helpline serves every CION centre.