Benign liver tumors are common and often asymptomatic. They can be discovered by accident during scans. The most common type is hemangioma, which rarely causes symptoms. Hepatocellular adenoma is rare and associated with oral contraceptives. Focal nodular hyperplasia is common in women and usually requires no treatment.
A benign liver tumor is a non-cancerous growth arising from the liver. These growths, which can also be described as benign liver tumors, are relatively common and often cause no symptoms. A benign liver tumor can be discovered by accident during a scan that has been performed to investigate another condition. Occasionally, the presence of the tumor can cause liver function tests to appear abnormal, but more often no liver dysfunction occurs. Benign liver tumors are usually only removed in rare cases where symptoms such as pain, bleeding, or rupture occur.
The most common type of benign liver tumor is known as a hemangioma, which consists of blood vessels that are abnormally crowded together. Hemangiomas can be found in adults or children, but are thought to be present from birth and can grow larger during pregnancy or after taking contraceptive drugs. This type of benign liver tumor occurs more often in women, is typically small, and does not cause any symptoms unless, rarely, you experience pain or the tumor bursts. When a child is diagnosed with a hemangioma, the tumor can often shrink before the age of two. Treatment isn’t necessary for most hemangiomas, but large tumors in young children may need to be surgically removed.
A hepatocellular adenoma is a benign tumor of the liver that is most often found in women before menopause. It is a relatively rare cancer, typically associated with taking oral contraceptives for a number of years. Symptoms usually do not occur, but abdominal pain may sometimes be felt, and occasionally the tumor may rupture or bleed into the abdomen. Because of the risk of bleeding and the fact that there is a small chance that a malignancy could occur, with the adenoma turning into liver cancer, treatment is usually done. Hepatocellular adenomas are usually removed by surgery, unless stopping contraceptive use causes them to shrink.
Focal nodular hyperplasia is a benign liver tumor that is more common than a hepatocellular adenoma but less common than a hemangioma. It develops more frequently in women and typically causes no symptoms and requires no treatment. Focal nodular hyperplasia has no tendency to become malignant, but very occasionally it can burst or hemorrhage, and an extremely large tumor can be removed before rupture occurs. Other types of benign liver tumors are extremely rare and can include fatty tumors or lipomas, fibrous tumors, and growths affecting the bile duct leading from the gallbladder.
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