Liver cancer, also called hepatic cancer, is a type of cancer that develops in the liver. Liver cancer is either considered primary or secondary. Primary liver cancer actually begins in the liver; secondary liver cancer begins in other parts of the body and spreads, or metastasizes, to the liver.
Because the liver is the largest organ inside the body and it is made up of different types of cells, many types of tumors can form in the liver, however secondary liver cancer is much more common than primary liver cancer. Many common types of cancer, including colon, rectum, lung, and breast cancers, spread to the liver.