Our first intuition is not always the right one. Clare Sacco, a 31-year-old British marketing manager, thought she was suffering from shoulder pain linked to her posture in front of her computer. But by dwelling on this impression, she missed a more serious health problem for months. Advanced cancer.
When a simple pain revives the memory of cancer
The young woman attributed this unpleasant sensation to a simple blocked nerve in her shoulder. Without consulting. But in March 2023, during a routine exam, doctors spotted an abnormality on her liver. Scans then revealed the unthinkable: Clare, who had already been beaten by breast cancer in 2019, had developed tumors in her liver and lungs.
“When I first finished my treatment, I saw cancer as something that would stay in my past and not something that might be in my future”she confides to Sun. Especially since the young woman had absolutely not linked her symptoms to such a diagnosis. A pain in the shoulder and another in the back… nothing to do with the mass felt during her breast cancer.
Clare, however, discovers that a nerve runs directly from the liver to the right shoulder and that one of her liver tumors is putting pressure on this nerve. During her hospital appointment, doctors told her she had been diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer, which was incurable. A cancer whose tumors have spread extensively in his lungs and liver.
The right shoulder, an unexpected crossroads for hepatic tensions
Among the first signs that can alert you to liver cancer, we often find severe fatigue, decreased appetite or even nausea. But a more surprising symptom, right shoulder pain, also recurs frequently. The latter could be explained by irritation of the phrenic nerve, a nerve which crosses the right shoulder and which is directly connected to the liver.
“Pain in the right shoulder can be linked to liver or biliary pathologies. This is called ‘referred’ pain” confirms Dr Gérald Kierzek, medical director of True Medical.
Thus, several liver or gallbladder diseases can manifest themselves as pain felt in the shoulder or back:
- Inflammations of the liver or gallbladder (such as acute cholecystitis) can cause pain radiating to the right shoulder and neck;
- Liver cancer can also be accompanied by pain that extends to this area, often associated with jaundice, ascites, significant fatigue or even loss of appetite;
- Other liver diseases such as liver failure or cholestasis cause general symptoms (fatigue, weakness) and abdominal pain that may refer to the right shoulder.
“The sign of referred pain from the gallbladder to the right shoulder is called Murphy sign. This phenomenon is linked to irritation of the visceral nerves which causes pain referred to the right shoulder, often in cases of hepatic colic or inflammation of the gallbladder. completes our expert.
Do you feel pain in your right shoulder? Think about your liver
If persistent pain develops in your right shoulder, it is best not to neglect it. It can in fact reveal a deeper disorder, particularly of hepatic or biliary origin. Dr. Gérald Kierzek then recommends a thorough medical evaluation:
“If the pain is associated with digestive or hepatic symptoms (jaundice, nausea), a thorough medical assessment is necessary to identify a possible visceral pathology. If there is any doubt about a hepatic or biliary origin, a specialist consultation will be recommended with ultrasound or abdominal CT.”