Liver tumours

Abstract Liver tumours in children comprise a heterogeneous group of conditions. Nearly two-thirds of liver tumours in children are malignant. The most common primary malignant liver tumour is hepatoblastoma. Advances in antenatal diagnosis, refinement of operative techniques, and a better understanding of segmental liver anatomy, together with developments in chemotherapy and the establishment of liver transplantation for unresectable tumours, have led to improvement in the outcome of primary liver tumours in children. The most common benign tumours are vascular in origin with shunting and high blood flow resulting in potentially lethal effects. This chapter covers the clinical approach to a child with a liver mass, vascular tumours, and malignant liver tumours.