{"id":6918,"date":"2026-03-25T08:04:11","date_gmt":"2026-03-25T08:04:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.healthoptibody.com\/?p=6918"},"modified":"2026-03-25T16:04:54","modified_gmt":"2026-03-25T16:04:54","slug":"dont-shrug-off-shoulder-pain-as-muscle-ache-it-could-be-early-sign-of-liver-cancer-warns-expert","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.healthoptibody.com\/?p=6918","title":{"rendered":"Don’t shrug off shoulder pain as ‘muscle ache’ – it could be early sign of liver cancer, warns expert"},"content":{"rendered":"

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By MARTI STELLING, HEALTH REPORTER<\/a><\/p>\n

Published:<\/span>

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While a nagging ache in your shoulder might seem harmless, doctors warn it could be a subtle sign of\u00a0cancer<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Experts say a persistent \u2018phantom\u2019 pain in the right shoulder can, in some cases, signal liver cancer, even when the arm itself feels completely normal.<\/p>\n

Once considered a disease of older people, liver cancer is now increasingly being diagnosed in adults in their 30s and 40s – raising alarm among experts.<\/p>\n

It is also on course to become a far bigger global health crisis, with cases expected to double by 2050.<\/p>\n

The disease is already one of the fastest-rising in the UK, yet its symptoms are often vague and easy to dismiss.<\/p>\n

Around 6,000 people are diagnosed each year, with rates soaring by more than 40 per cent over the past decade.<\/p>\n

Dr Jiri Kubes, medical director at the Proton Therapy Centre in Prague, said that one warning sign in particular is frequently misunderstood – and ignored.<\/p>\n

\u2018Liver cancer can sometimes cause what we call referred or phantom pain, where discomfort is felt in the shoulder rather than the abdomen,\u2019 he explained.<\/p>\n

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While a nagging ache in your shoulder might seem harmless, doctors warn it could be a subtle sign of a deadly – yet often preventable – cancer<\/p>\n<\/div>\n