Tom Reeve Academic Surgical Clinic · St Leonards
Conditions · Liver
Finding out you have a growth in your liver is unsettling. This page walks you through what those growths can be, how Tom assesses them, and what surgery involves when it is the right step.
Benign & cancer
Both types assessed carefully
Keyhole / open
Approach matched to your case
Regenerates
The liver can grow back
Team care
Surgery planned with your specialists
Things like haemangiomas, adenomas, and cysts. Many need nothing more than watching. Others are better removed if they are growing, causing symptoms, or carry a risk of bleeding.
Cancer that starts in the liver itself, most often hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Treatment depends on the size and location of the tumour, and how well the rest of your liver is working.
Often from bowel cancer (colorectal liver metastases). In the right situation, carefully removing these deposits can make a real difference to long-term outcomes.
Some growths are best watched. Some are treated with medicines, ablation, or other approaches first. Tom will be honest about the trade-offs.
Tom reviews your scans and history with you, explains what the growth is likely to be, and answers the questions that have been sitting with you since the scan.
You talk through the options together. Surgery is only recommended when it is genuinely the best path. Second opinions are welcome.
Tom removes the affected part of the liver (a liver resection), using keyhole or open techniques depending on what is safest for you. The liver has a remarkable ability to regrow.
Most people stay in hospital for several days. You will be walking early, and the team will guide you through each stage of getting back to yourself.
You are never left guessing about next steps or who to call if something changes.
Yes. The liver is one of the few organs that regenerates. After a carefully planned resection, the remaining liver usually grows back over weeks to months.
Sometimes, especially when cancer has spread from elsewhere. Tom works closely with your oncologist so the surgical and medical plans fit together.
For selected tumours, yes. Tom will explain whether a keyhole approach is safe and suitable for your particular case.
It varies with the size of the operation, but many people stay several days. You will have a clearer sense of timing once Tom has reviewed your scans and planned the surgery.