The obscure symptom of liver cancer that shows up while doing the washing up

Shoulder pain when washing dishes could be a sign of liver cancer, experts warn.

Referred pain is common in people with the condition, which kills almost 6,000 Brits every year.

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According to the NHS, people with the condition are more likely to experience heartburn, bloating, nausea and vomiting.

A feeling of fullness after eating small meals is also reported.

But a swollen liver can cause right shoulder pain.

According to Cancer Research UK, the enlarged organ stimulates nerves that connect to nerves in the shoulder.

This sign can often be dismissed as a simple pain after doing a lot of housework – such as washing dishes or vacuuming.

However, it is important to be aware of the potential dangers because liver cancer can be difficult to detect.

In the early stages, symptoms often do not appear at all, and once they do appear, it is important to act quickly.

According to the NHS, easy-to-ignore signs include:

• unexplained weight loss
• Loss of appetite
• Feeling full after eating, even if the meal was small
• Nausea and vomiting
• Pain or swelling in your abdomen (tummy)
• Jaundice (yellowing of your skin and the whites of your eyes)
• itchy skin
• I feel very tired and weak

If you have these symptoms, it doesn’t mean you definitely have liver cancer; They are more likely to be the result of a more common illness, such as an infection.

However, if you experience these symptoms for more than two weeks, it is worth seeing your GP.

Every year in the UK, around 6,200 people are diagnosed with cancer that starts in the liver and 5,800 die from it.

It is the second largest organ in the body after the skin and is located directly beneath the right lung.

Liver cancer occurs when abnormal cells begin to divide and grow uncontrollably.

The exact cause of this is still unknown, but most cases involve damage and scarring of the liver, known as cirrhosis.

Liver cirrhosis can have a variety of causes, including excessive alcohol consumption over many years and long-term hepatitis B or hepatitis C virus infection.

It is also believed that obesity and unhealthy diets may increase the risk of liver cancer because it can lead to nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.