Liver Cancer Treatment: What You Need to Know

Liver cancer is one of the deadliest forms of the disease and is on the rise both globally and domestically, while scientists work relentlessly to research immunotherapy solutions that can lift patient outcomes. A prevalence of previous hepatitis infection among patients and immune cells that actually enable liver tumors complicates the search for a cure.

Luckily, there are different innovative treatments provided by some of the world’s leading liver cancer experts. Treatments that aim to cure liver cancer are usually only used for early-stage cancers.

If the tumor is found at a later stage, treatment other than surgery may be used. Your team will determine the most appropriate liver cancer therapy for you. One or more of the following therapies may be used to treat liver cancer or help relieve symptoms.

Surgery

Surgery allows patients with early-stage disease the best chance for successful treatment. If all the cancers can be removed, the possibility of successful treatment is higher, but complete removal of liver cancer is often not possible since the cancer is large or has spread to other parts of the liver or the body.

The liver may also be damaged because of other conditions. Surgeons try to remove as much of the tumor as possible while leaving enough of the liver to function. The main types of surgery for liver cancer are hepatectomy and liver transplant.

Interventional Oncology

These minimally invasive procedures use imaging guidance. This allows an interventional radiologist to target tumors through small injections or needle placements. These procedures are usually done as outpatient procedures, leading to much shorter hospital stays than major surgeries.

One of the most popular interventional oncology used as liver cancer therapy is tumor ablation. Heat or extreme cold is used to freeze or burn the liver cancer away. Ablation may be used when surgery to remove a tumor is not possible.

Then there’s also embolization. Material is injected into the artery that carries blood to the tumor. Chemotherapy or radiation therapy are directed at the tumor instead of through the whole body. In some instances, blood vessels going to the tumors can be blocked. This stops the cancer cells of blood and results in tumor cell death. Embolization treatments include radioembolization and chemoembolization.

Be sure to discuss more with your medical practitioner abut liver cancer therapy before commencing on the ideal treatment for your case.