Liver cancer treatment depends on various factors, including the stage of the cancer, the overall health of the patient, and the specific characteristics of the tumor. The main treatment options for liver cancer include:
- Surgery
- Liver Resection: Surgical removal of the tumor and some surrounding healthy liver tissue.
- Liver Transplant: Replacing the diseased liver with a healthy liver from a donor. This is typically considered for patients with early-stage liver cancer.
- Ablation Therapies: minimally invasive procedures that use heat or cold to destroy abnormal tissue or tumors in the body.
- Radiofrequency Ablation (RFA): Using heat to destroy cancer cells.
- Cryoablation: Using extreme cold to freeze and destroy cancer cells.
- Microwave Ablation: Using microwaves to heat and destroy cancer cells.
- Embolization: a minimally invasive procedure that involves blocking blood vessels with particles, such as tiny gelatin sponges or beads, to stop bleeding or to block blood flow to abnormal tissue.
- Transarterial Chemoembolization (TACE): Injecting chemotherapy drugs directly into the liver tumor’s blood supply and blocking the blood flow to the tumor.
- Transarterial Radioembolization (TARE) or Selective Internal Radiation Therapy (SIRT): Injecting tiny radioactive beads into the artery supplying the tumor to block its blood supply and deliver targeted radiation.
- Radiation Therapy
- External Beam Radiation Therapy (EBRT): Using high-energy beams to target and kill cancer cells.
- Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy (SBRT): A highly precise form of radiation therapy that delivers concentrated doses of radiation to the tumor.
- Targeted Therapy: a type of cancer treatment that targets proteins that control how cancer cells grow, divide, and spread.
- Immunotherapy: treatment that uses certain parts of a person’s immune system to fight diseases such as cancer. This can be done in a couple of ways:
- Stimulating, or boosting, the natural defenses of your immune system so it works harder or smarter to find and attack cancer cells
- Making substances in a lab that are just like immune system components and using them to help restore or improve how your immune system works to find and attack cancer cells
- Checkpoint Inhibitors: Drugs such as pembrolizumab (Keytruda) and nivolumab (Opdivo) that help the immune system recognize and attack cancer cells.
- Chemotherapy: Chemotherapy is less commonly used for liver cancer because liver cancer cells are often resistant to chemotherapy drugs. However, it may be used in certain situations.
- Clinical Trials: Participation in clinical trials may provide access to new and experimental treatments that are not yet widely available.
- Palliative Care: Focuses on relieving symptoms and improving the quality of life for patients with advanced liver cancer.
Factors Influencing Treatment Choice
- Stage of Cancer: Early-stage cancers may be treated with surgery or ablation, while advanced stages might require systemic therapies.
- Liver Function: The health of the remaining liver tissue is crucial in determining the treatment approach.
- Patient’s Overall Health: Comorbidities and overall fitness can influence the choice of treatment.
The choice of treatment often involves a multidisciplinary team of specialists, including oncologists, surgeons, radiologists, and gastroenterologists. The treatment plan often involves a combination of these methods and is personalized based on the patient's specific situation, including the cancer stage, location, and the patient's overall health. Regular follow-up and monitoring by your GW Cancer Center team are essential to assess the treatment's effectiveness and manage any side effects or complications.
