A breakthrough in liver cancer research could pave the way for early detection for the almost 3000 Australians who are diagnosed with the deadly disease each year.

Researchers at Curtin University can now determine the risk of developing liver cancer by quantifying the number of pre-malignant cells in a patient with liver disease.

A three-year study published in the science journal Cell Genomics found this development could lead to a new diagnostic blood test to detect liver cancer at early stages.

Lead study author Rodrigo Carlessi said early detection could save lives.

"One big problem with liver cancer patients is they're very frequently diagnosed at intermediate and more advanced stages of the disease," Dr Carlessi told AAP.

"At intermediate to advanced stages there's no curative treatment - people often will end up dying from the disease - whereas if you can detect the cancer very early in the process then the therapeutic options you have are curative, so patients can be cured as long as they're diagnosed early."

Primary liver cancer is a malignant tumour that starts in the liver and the most common risk factor is long-term infections of hepatitis B or hepatitis C.

The five-year relative survival rate is 22 per cent, according to the Australian Cancer Research Foundation.

More than 70 per cent of cases occur in people aged 60 and over and men are three times more likely to be affected by liver cancer than women.

Fellow lead study author Professor Nina Tirnitz-Parker said the proposed diagnostic testing would be a game-changer for health professionals.

"A commercially developed test could help clinicians classify a patient's risk and provide appropriate monitoring schedules for early diagnosis," Professor Tirnitz-Parker said.

There are currently no biomarkers to determine a person's risk of liver cancer which means many patients with advanced liver cancer live less than 12 months.