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Most patients with HCC do not have any symptoms especially in the early stage of the disease. In the later stages, patients may develop jaundice, confusion, bleeding tendencies or fluid in their abdomen known as ascites.

The most common risk factor for HCC in Singapore is being a Hepatitis B virus carrier. Other risk factors include any cause of liver cirrhosis including non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, chronic alcohol dependence, chronic hepatitis C virus infection, autoimmune hepatitis and primary biliary cirrhosis. There is also increasing evidence that obesity and diabetes may be risk factors for cirrhosis. 

It is possible to detect HCC early in the absence of symptoms. Patients with risk factors for HCC should undergo screening every six months using ultrasound of the liver and by undergoing a liver tumor blood test (alpha-fetoprotein).

Diagnosis of HCC can usually be made using CT or MRI scans. In a small proportion of cases, a liver biopsy may be needed to establish a diagnosis.

Surgical Resection 

Liver Transplantation

Radiofrequency Ablation (RFA)

Yttrium-90 Radioembolisation (Y-90)

Y-90 is a technique whereby radioactive beads are deployed into the tumour via a blood vessel. The radioactive beads emit low-energy radioactivity that kills the tumour.