Medical Oncologist
CION Cancer Clinics
Liver cancer in children: the types and where to read more | CION Cancer Clinics
Liver cancer in children is rare and is a different illness from liver cancer in adults. The most common type is hepatoblastoma, which usually affects very young children and is treated by a paediatric oncology team. This page explains the main types, how they differ from adult liver cancer, the signs that need a doctor, and where to find the detailed guides. At CION Cancer Clinics, our team supports patients and families through symptoms, follow-up and life during and after treatment.
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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
- What kind of liver cancer do children get?
- Which liver tumours can a child have, and where do I read more?
- How is liver cancer in a child different from an adult's?
- What will doctors do if they find a lump in my child's liver?
- What do parents often fear, and what is true?
- What can this page not tell you?
- Common questions about liver cancer in children
The short answer
What kind of liver cancer do children get?
Liver cancer in children is rare, and it is a different illness from liver cancer in adults. The most common type is hepatoblastoma, which usually appears in babies and very young children. Older children and teenagers can get hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the main adult type, and sometimes a rarer form called fibrolamellar carcinoma.
Why this page is short on treatment detail
Children with liver tumours are treated by paediatric oncology teams, doctors who specialise in cancer in children. Their plans, medicines and follow-up differ from adult care. CION keeps that detail in one place, on the hepatoblastoma page in our children's cancer section, so this page explains the types and points you to the right reading.
Most liver lumps in children are not cancer
Babies can have harmless blood-vessel growths in the liver called haemangiomas, and other non-cancer lumps occur too. That is reassuring, but it is not a reason to skip tests. Any lump or swelling in a child's tummy needs a doctor to examine it and usually an ultrasound.
If you searched this because an adult in the family has liver cancer, the rest of the liver cancer section is written for you.The main types
Which liver tumours can a child have, and where do I read more?
The type decides almost everything about the plan. The report from the biopsy or the scan will name it.
Hepatoblastoma
The commonest childhood liver cancer, usually in the first few years of life. It often makes the AFP blood marker very high, which helps doctors diagnose it and track treatment. Read the full guide on hepatoblastoma treatment.
Hepatocellular carcinoma in children
Seen mostly in older children and teenagers. It can be linked to hepatitis B caught at birth or to a rare inherited liver condition, but often appears with no known cause.
Fibrolamellar carcinoma
A rare form that tends to affect teenagers and young adults with an otherwise healthy liver. It behaves differently from ordinary HCC.
Read next
- Fibrolamellar carcinoma
- Liver cancer in teenagers and young adults
Cancer that spread to the liver
Some childhood cancers that start elsewhere, such as in the kidney or the nerve tissue, can spread to the liver. These are treated as the original cancer, not as liver cancer.
Not sure whether this applies to you?
Ask an oncologistSide by side
How is liver cancer in a child different from an adult's?
In children
In adults
Usually hepatoblastoma, a tumour of immature liver cells
Usually HCC, or cancer that spread from another organ
The rest of the liver is usually healthy
Often grows in a liver scarred by cirrhosis
Chemotherapy often shrinks the tumour well before surgery
Chemotherapy plays a smaller part in most HCC
Planned by a paediatric oncology team
Planned by an adult liver tumour board
Follow-up includes growth, hearing and schooling
Follow-up centres on scans and liver function
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When a child needs a doctor
See a paediatrician this week if your child has a swollen or hard tummy, a lump you can feel under the right ribs, poor feeding or weight loss without a reason. Go to hospital today if a child with a swollen tummy also has yellow eyes, a fever, severe pain, repeated vomiting or is unusually drowsy.
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What happens next
What will doctors do if they find a lump in my child's liver?
An examination and an ultrasound
The paediatrician feels the tummy and arranges an ultrasound. It is painless and uses no radiation.
Blood tests, including AFP
AFP is a protein made by the liver. Very high levels point towards some liver cancers in children, though babies normally have higher levels, so it must be read against the child's age.
A detailed scan, sometimes a biopsy
A CT or MRI shows the tumour's size and which parts of the liver it touches. A small tissue sample often confirms the type.
A children's cancer team plans treatment
Paediatric oncologists, surgeons and radiologists decide together. For hepatoblastoma this often means chemotherapy first, then surgery. A few children need a liver transplant at a licensed transplant centre.
Commonly believed
What do parents often fear, and what is true?
"We must have done something to cause this."
Nothing a parent fed, gave or did causes hepatoblastoma. The cause is usually unknown. Being born very early is linked to a higher risk, and nobody chooses that.
"It is the same disease grandfather had."
Adult liver cancer and childhood liver cancer are different illnesses with different causes and treatment. A grandparent's liver cancer does not mean a child's tumour is the same, or that it was passed down.
"A child's tumour can be treated like an adult's."
Children need medicines and plans built for their bodies and growth. This is why care is led by a paediatric oncology team, not an adult one.
"The birth-dose vaccine is only about jaundice."
The hepatitis B vaccine given at birth also helps prevent liver cancer later in life. Hepatitis B vaccination is cancer prevention.
Being straight with you
What can this page not tell you?
It cannot tell you what a lump in your child's liver is, or what treatment your child needs. That depends on the scan, the blood tests, the tissue report and how much of the liver the tumour involves. Only the children's cancer team looking after your child can answer those questions.
Who this does not apply to
This page is not a guide for adults with liver cancer, nor for adults whose cancer spread to the liver from elsewhere. If that is your situation, read what secondary liver cancer means or the main liver cancer pages.
If you want another opinion
Parents often want a second set of eyes on the reports, and that is reasonable. You can read about a second opinion for a child's cancer, or call the CION helpline and we will tell you which team is right to review your child's reports.
Questions we are asked
Common questions about liver cancer in children
Is hepatoblastoma the same as liver cancer?
Hepatoblastoma is one type of liver cancer, the commonest in young children. It starts in immature liver cells and behaves differently from adult liver cancer. It usually responds to chemotherapy, which is why plans for children look so different from plans for adults.
Can liver cancer in children be treated successfully?
Many children with hepatoblastoma do well, especially when the whole tumour can be removed. The outlook depends on the tumour's size, whether it has spread and how it responds to chemotherapy. Your child's team can explain what applies to your child. Figures from the internet cannot.
What does a high AFP mean in a child?
A high AFP can point towards hepatoblastoma or another liver tumour, but babies naturally have higher AFP in the first months of life. The number has to be read against the child's age and the scan. On its own, it does not confirm cancer.
Will my child need a liver transplant?
Most children do not. A transplant is considered when the tumour cannot be removed safely with surgery, even after chemotherapy. If it is needed, it takes place at a licensed transplant centre, and the children's team will explain how that works.
Is liver cancer in children inherited?
Usually not. A small number of children have a rare inherited condition that raises the risk, and the team may suggest genetic counselling if there are signs of one. Brothers and sisters are not normally at higher risk.
Does CION treat children with liver cancer?
Children's cancer care is led by paediatric oncology specialists. Call the CION helpline and we will tell you which team should see your child, and help you organise reports for a review. Surgery and transplant take place at partner centres your team will name.
Can hepatitis B in a child lead to liver cancer?
Hepatitis B caught at birth can, over many years, raise the risk of liver cancer, sometimes even in older children. The birth-dose vaccine and an antibody injection for babies of mothers with hepatitis B greatly lower that risk. Children who carry the virus need regular check-ups.
What should I bring to the first appointment?
Bring every scan on disc or film, the written reports, blood test results including AFP, and any biopsy report. Note when symptoms began and what has changed. Write your questions down beforehand, because the first meeting can feel overwhelming.
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
- National Cancer Institute — Childhood Liver Cancer
- American Cancer Society — What Is Liver Cancer?
- NHS — Hepatitis B
- MedlinePlus — Liver Transplantation
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
Hepatoblastoma: liver cancer in childrenThe full guide for parents, from our children's cancer sectionHepatoblastoma explainedA short explainer of the commonest childhood liver cancerFibrolamellar carcinomaThe rare type seen in teenagers and young adultsLiver cancer in teenagers and young adultsWhat changes when the patient is older than a child
Talk to us
Worried about a lump in your child's tummy?
Tell us what the doctor found and what tests have been done, and we will help you reach the right children's cancer team for a review. One helpline serves every CION centre.