Medical Oncologist
CION Cancer Clinics
Why liver cancer has so many different doctors | CION Cancer Clinics
Liver cancer involves many doctors because it is usually two illnesses at once: a tumour, and a liver already damaged by hepatitis, alcohol or fat. Each treatment also has its own specialist. This page explains who you may meet, what each one decides, where families lose time between them, and how one joint meeting can turn several opinions into a single plan. 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
- Why am I seeing so many doctors for one liver problem?
- Which doctors might I meet, and what does each one decide?
- Where along the way do patients fall through the gaps?
- What do the names on the referral letters mean?
- Do more doctors mean something has gone wrong?
- What this page cannot tell you
- Common questions about the liver cancer team
The short answer
Why am I seeing so many doctors for one liver problem?
Liver cancer usually grows inside a liver that is already unwell, so two illnesses have to be looked after at the same time. No single specialist is trained to judge the tumour, the liver, the scan and every possible treatment, which is why your file passes through several pairs of hands.
Two illnesses at the same time
Most primary liver cancer, called hepatocellular carcinoma or HCC, starts in a liver scarred by hepatitis B, hepatitis C, alcohol or fatty liver disease. That scarring is called cirrhosis. A treatment that removes the tumour can still fail if the remaining liver cannot cope, so the liver specialist and the cancer specialist both have a say.
Many treatments, each with its own expert
Liver tumours can be removed by surgery, destroyed with a needle, starved through a blood vessel, treated with radiation or with medicines, or replaced with a new liver. Each of these is done by a different kind of doctor. Choosing between them is the real work, and it needs the people who know each option.
This page is mainly about primary liver cancer. If your report says cancer has spread to the liver from the bowel, breast or elsewhere, read what liver metastases mean first.The people involved
Which doctors might I meet, and what does each one decide?
You will not meet all of them. Which ones you see depends on the size of the tumour, the health of your liver and the treatment being considered.
Physician or gastroenterologist
Often the first doctor, who ordered the ultrasound or blood test that found something. They start the referral and know your history.
Hepatologist
A liver specialist. They judge how well your liver works, treat hepatitis B or C, and manage fluid in the abdomen, swollen veins and confusion caused by the liver.
Radiologist and interventional radiologist
The radiologist reads the CT or MRI and often makes the diagnosis from the scan alone. The interventional radiologist treats tumours through needles and blood vessels, with TACE or ablation.
Surgical oncologist and transplant surgeon
The surgeon decides whether part of the liver can be safely removed. A transplant team decides whether a new liver is an option.
Medical oncologist
The cancer medicine specialist. They plan immunotherapy and targeted therapy, and often hold the whole plan together over time.
Also often involved
- Pathologist, if a biopsy is taken
- Radiation oncologist
- Dietitian and palliative care team
Not sure whether this applies to you?
Ask an oncologistWhere people get lost
Where along the way do patients fall through the gaps?
From the first scan to a specialist
An ultrasound says "a lesion in the liver" and the family is told to see someone. Weeks can pass while they decide who. Ask the doctor who ordered the scan to name the next doctor and write the referral.
From the specialist to the right scan
A small nodule needs a triple-phase CT or MRI, a scan taken at different moments after a contrast injection. A plain scan can leave the question open and add another visit.
From the scan to a decision
This is where families most often get stuck, moving between a surgeon, a radiologist and an oncologist who each see one part. A joint meeting, the liver tumour board, closes this gap.
From treatment back to follow-up
After TACE or surgery, follow-up scans and liver care are easy to drop. Ask before you leave who books the next scan and who watches the liver.
Words you will hear
What do the names on the referral letters mean?
- Multidisciplinary team
- The group of specialists who look after one kind of cancer together. Often shortened to MDT.
- Tumour board
- The regular meeting where that team looks at your scans and reports together and agrees one plan.
- Hepatology
- The branch of medicine for liver disease. A hepatologist is a liver physician who does not operate.
- Interventional radiology
- Treatment done by a radiologist through a needle or a thin tube in a blood vessel, guided by scans.
- Liver function
- How well the healthy part of the liver works. It is often scored with Child-Pugh, a grading built from blood tests and examination.
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Did you know
At CION, a liver cancer plan is discussed at a tumour board before it is confirmed. Scans, liver tests and any biopsy are reviewed together, and CION coordinates procedures, imaging and transplant assessment through accredited partner hospitals and hepatologists.
Commonly believed
Do more doctors mean something has gone wrong?
"Being sent to another doctor means the first one could not handle it."
It usually means the first doctor knows where their part ends. A good referral is a sign of care. The real worry is a doctor who treats the tumour without asking about the liver.
"So many opinions will only confuse us. We should pick one doctor."
Separate opinions given in separate rooms can confuse. Opinions joined up at one meeting give one plan, so ask for that. If two doctors do disagree, read what to do when doctors disagree.
"The liver doctor is only for hepatitis. The cancer is a separate matter."
The liver decides which cancer treatments are safe. Controlling hepatitis B and treating hepatitis C also protect the liver during cancer treatment, so the hepatologist stays involved.
"Every new doctor means starting from the beginning again."
It does not have to. Carry your scan discs, reports and a short summary, and each visit can start where the last one stopped.
Being straight with you
What this page cannot tell you
It cannot tell you which doctors your own case needs. A small tumour in a healthy liver may need only a surgeon and an oncologist. A tumour in a badly scarred liver may need a hepatologist and a transplant team first. Only someone who has seen your scans and blood results can say which path you are on.
Who this does not apply to
If the cancer started somewhere else and spread to the liver, the team is led by the specialists for that first cancer, and the order of doctors is different. Children with a liver tumour are looked after by a paediatric team; see hepatoblastoma in children. Gallbladder cancer has its own pathway too.
When to ask for help now
If you have been passed between doctors and nobody has yet given you a plan, ask for your case to go to a tumour board. You can also ask one doctor to be your named lead, the person you call first.
If you are unsure who should see you next, call the helpline with your latest scan report in hand.Questions we are asked
Common questions about the liver cancer team
Who is actually in charge of my treatment?
It varies, and that is why you should ask. In many cases the medical oncologist holds the plan over time, while the hepatologist looks after the liver. If surgery is the main treatment, the surgeon may lead for a while. Ask each team to name one person you can contact first.
Do I need a hepatologist if I already have an oncologist?
Usually yes, if you have cirrhosis or hepatitis B or C. The hepatologist treats the liver disease, watches for fluid, bleeding veins and confusion, and advises whether the liver can take a given treatment. Some oncologists manage mild liver problems themselves and refer when needed.
Why did nobody take a biopsy?
Liver cancer is one of the few cancers that can often be diagnosed from a triple-phase scan alone, in a person known to have cirrhosis. A biopsy is still taken when the scan is unclear, when the liver is healthy, or when the tumour may have come from elsewhere. The team will explain which applies to you.
What is a tumour board, and can I ask for one?
It is a meeting where the surgeon, radiologist, oncologist and liver specialist look at your case together and agree a plan. Yes, you can ask for your case to be discussed. Read getting your case discussed for how to ask.
Does seeing more doctors mean higher bills?
Each consultation is usually charged, so it can add up. A joint discussion can reduce repeated visits and repeated scans. Ask each hospital in advance what a consultation and a review of outside scans will cost, and keep receipts for insurance.
Can we travel to Hyderabad just once and get everything done?
Sometimes much of the planning can happen in one visit if you bring every scan disc and report. Procedures and follow-up scans need further visits. Some reviews can happen by teleconsultation once the team has your records, which saves district families repeated travel.
Does CION do all of these treatments itself?
CION provides consultations, the tumour board, cancer medicines and supportive care at its centres. Scans, biopsy, TACE, ablation, radiation, surgery and transplant are coordinated through accredited partner hospitals and hepatologists. Your team will tell you where each step takes place.
What should I carry to every appointment?
The scan discs and printed reports, every blood test, any biopsy report, the list of medicines you take, and a short written summary of what has happened so far. A family member to take notes helps too. One folder kept in date order saves time at every handover.
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
- Cancer Research UK — Treatment for liver cancer
- American Cancer Society — Treating Liver Cancer
- NHS — Tests and next steps for liver cancer
- EASL — EASL Clinical Practice Guidelines: management of hepatocellular carcinoma
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
Who does what in the liver teamEach specialist's role, in more detailWhat a liver cancer tumour board decidesHow several opinions become one planWhere delays happen and how to avoid themThe handovers where families lose timeCarrying your scans between hospitalsSo each new doctor does not start from zero
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Passed between doctors with no plan yet?
Send us your scans and reports and we will help you get your case reviewed by a tumour board and tell you who should see you next. One helpline serves every CION centre.