Hepatocellular carcinoma is not the same as metastatic liver cancer, which starts in another organ (such as the breast or colon) and spreads to the liver.
In most cases, the cause of liver cancer is scarring of the liver (cirrhosis). Cirrhosis may be caused by:
Alcohol abuse
Autoimmune diseases of the liver
Hepatitis B or C virus infection
Inflammation of the liver that is long-term (chronic)
Iron overload in the body (hemochromatosis)
Patients with hepatitis B or C are at high risk of liver cancer, even if they do not develop cirrhosis.