Hepatocellular Carcinoma
Hepatocellular carcinoma or cancer of the liver could be the reason for the liver’s enlargement. The disease is often a complication in patients with cirrhosis. In addition, patients with leukemia and lymphoma could also have liver enlargement. Hepatocellular carcinoma is the most widely known type of primary liver cancer. It often occurs in people with cirrhosis brought about by hepatitis B and D or hepatitis C infection.
However, healthcare providers do not rule out that hepatomegaly results from metastatic cancer or cancer that starts in another organ before spreading to the liver.
A person with liver cancer can have a swollen abdomen because the liver gets bigger, caused by the growing cancer mass. Thus, the patient will feel swelling on the right side of the abdomen. Cirrhosis also increases the pressure in the liver. The pressure makes the blood back up to the veins, forcing the veins to leak the fluid into the abdomen. The term for this condition is ascites, causing the abdomen to swell.
The swelling of the liver can cause referred pain to your right shoulder as the liver stimulates the network of nerves connected to the nerves in your shoulder.
