Liver Adenoma Treatment

Liver adenomas—or hepatic adenomas—are benign (non-cancerous) liver tumors. These rare tumors occur most often in women of child-bearing age using birth control pills and other types of estrogen and can also occur in people using anabolic steroids. Treatment will depend on the size of the lesion among other factors.

Asymptomatic Tumors

• Treatment for smaller tumors not causing symptoms typically includes stopping the use of birth control or steroids, according to Dr. Sandeep Mukherjees of Medicinenet.com. This causes the tumor to shrink but it is unlikely it will disappear completely. These tumors have a low risk of complication, making further treatment unnecessary.

Symptomatic Tumors

• Growths causing symptoms require surgical removal regardless of how big they are. This will relieve symptoms and prevent further complications.

Rupture Risk

• Tumors exhibiting a risk of rupture will also require surgery, according to Mukherjees.

Pregnancy

• Pregnancy can complicate liver adenomas. Women wishing to get pregnant should consider surgical removal of even small lesions, according to Mukherjees. Large adenomas discovered during early pregnancy might be removed during the second trimester—the safest option.

Follow-Up

• Patients who do not undergo removal should consider yearly imaging tests to monitor the growth. This is particularly important if your tumor is bigger than 5 cm or if you have more than one.