Benign (non-cancerous) liver tumors are common. The best part about the benign liver tumours is that they do not spread to other areas of the body and they usually do not pose a serious health risk. They are diagnosed incidentally when the person goes for ultrasound, CT Scan or MRI for some other condition.

The three most common types of benign liver tumors that are treated and managed by Gastroenterologist and Liver Specialist Dr Mayank Chugh in Gurgaon, Haryana in India are hemangiomas, focal nodular hyperplasias and hepatocellular adenomas.

Hemangiomas - These are the most common of the benign liver tumours that are diagnosed by Gastroenterologist Dr Mayank Chugh at his Liver and Gastro Clinic at Asiaz Hospital in Gurgaon, Haryana. They are a mass of abnormal blood vessels. Women are more prone to get these tumours.

Focal Nodular Hyperplasias - These are the second most common form of benign liver tumours that are diagnosed at Liver and Gastro Clinic at Asiaz Hospital by Dr Mayank Chugh in Gurgaon. They are also found more in women than men. They usually occur in women aged 20-30 years.

Hepatocellular Adenomas - They are less common benign liver tumors. They occur most often in women of childbearing age and have been linked to oral contraceptive use.

Most of the benign liver tumours are asymptomatic. They are diagnosed during imaging tests like Ultrasound, CT Scan or MRI of the Abdomen which the person may be doing for some other condtion. Benign tumours do not pose significant health risk and therefore in most of the cases, do not require any treatment.

Hemangiomas are the most common type of benign liver tumours. Almost 1-5% of the adults may have Liver Hemangioms without actually knowing about them.

Advanced Imaging tests like Ultrasound / CT / MRI / Liver Elastography might be required to differentiate between a Benign or a Malignant Liver Tumour. In some cases Liver Biopsy might be required to ascertain the type of the tumour. Liver Biopsy is the most definitive diagnostic test for Liver Tumours but has some risk associated with it. The emergence of non-invasive imaging modalities has reduced the utility of Liver Biopsy and many Liver Specialists are averse to doing this test. The main reason behind avoiding Liver Biopsy is the Risk Benefit analysis.

Usually Hemangiomas produce no symptoms and do not need to be treated. In rare cases, a patient with a large hemangioma may need to have it removed surgically to prevent clotting and heart failure.

Focal Nodal Hyperplasias (FNH) usually do not cause symptoms or require treatment. If it is a large FNH, then our liver specialist Dr Mayank Chugh might advise to get it removed surgically to prevent any kind of rupture of the tumour.

Hepatocellular Adenomas do not cause symptoms and most of them remained undetected. In some cases these tumors may rupture and bleed into the abdominal cavity. When a large liver adenoma is diagnosed, your doctor may advise you to get it surgically removed to prevent bleeding.

Hepatocellular adenomas may become large in women who take hormonal pills. Women who have been diagnosed with Liver Adenoma are therefore advised to discontinue birth control pills and not to go for hormone replacement therapy post menopause.