Survival for primary liver cancer

Survival depends on different factors. So no one can tell you exactly how long you will live.

Doctors usually work out the outlook for a certain disease by looking at large groups of people. Primary liver cancer is less common. So survival is harder to estimate than for other, more common cancers.

Some of the statistics have to be based on a small number of people. Remember, they can't tell you what will happen in your individual case.

Your doctor can give you more information about your own outlook (prognosis).

About these statistics

The terms 1 year, 4 year or 5 year survival don't mean that you will only live for 1 or 4 or 5 years.

Organisations such as NHS Digital and researchers collect information. They watch what happens to people with cancer in the years after their diagnosis. So for example, 5 years is a common time point to measure survival. But some people live much longer than this.

5 year survival is the number of people who have not died from their cancer within 5 years after diagnosis.

These figures include people with different types of primary liver cancer including: 

• hepatocellular carcinoma
• intrahepatic bile duct carcinoma
• angiosarcoma

Survival by stage

There are no UK-wide statistics available for liver cancer by stage. Survival statistics are available for each stage of primary liver cancer in England. These figures are for adults diagnosed between 2015 and 2019. 

These are 4 year survival statistics, as 5 year survival statistics are not available. 

Stage 1

More than 45 out of 100 people (more than 45%) with stage 1 liver cancer will survive their cancer for 4 years or more after they're diagnosed. 

Stage 2 

Around 35 out of 100 people (around 35%) with stage 2 liver cancer will survive their cancer for 4 years or more after they're diagnosed. 

Stage 3 

More than 10 out of 100 people (more than 10%) with stage 3 liver cancer will survive their cancer for 4 years or more after they're diagnosed. 

Stage 4 

Almost 5 out of 100 people (almost 5%) with stage 4 liver cancer will survive their cancer for 4 years or more after they're diagnosed.

Survival for all stages of liver cancer

There are no UK-wide statistics available for the survival for all stages of liver cancer. Survival statistics are available for people with primary liver cancer in England. These figures are for adults diagnosed in England between 2016 and 2020.

For adults diagnosed with liver cancer in England:

• 40 out of 100 people (40%) will survive their cancer for 1 year or more after diagnosis
• almost 15 out of 100 people (almost 15%) will survive their cancer for 5 years or more after they are diagnosed

Survival for liver cancer by age

There are no UK-wide statistics available for the survival of liver cancer by age. Survival statistics are available for people with primary liver cancer in England. These figures are for adults diagnosed in England between 2015 and 2019. 

5 year survival for liver cancer is generally higher in younger people compared to older people. 

In men diagnosed with liver cancer in England aged:    

• 15 to 44, around 35 out of 100 (around 35%) survive their liver cancer for 5 years or more
• 75 to 99, around 5 out of 100 (around 5%) survive their liver cancer for 5 years or more

In women diagnosed with liver cancer in England aged:

• 15 to 44, 40 out of 100 (40%) survive their liver cancer for 5 years or more
• 75 to 99, 5 out of 100 (5%) survive their liver cancer for 5 years or more
   

What affects survival?

Your outlook is affected by the treatment you have.

Treatment decisions depend on the size of the cancer and whether it has spread. It also depends on the health of your liver tissue that is not affected by the cancer, for example if you have liver cirrhosis. 

Your general health and fitness also affect survival.

More statistics

For more in-depth information about survival and liver cancer, go to our Cancer Statistics section.