Liver Metastasis Treatment

Metastatic liver tumors are also called secondary liver tumors. The primary site of the cancer, or the origins of the cancer, is somewhere else on the body (the colon is the most common site of primary cancers that metastasize to the liver, but many other cancers also do as well). The primary cancer has metastasized, or grown and spread to the liver. The liver is a very common site of metastases because of the liver's function as a center to filter blood and wastes from elsewhere in the body. Cancer cells often come to the liver through the blood stream and begin to grow there.

Treatment

• Treatments vary depending on the extent of the metastases both in the liver and in other parts of the body. Metastatic liver cancer itself can be treated with surgery, if that is the only site of metastases. However, often when cancer spreads to the liver, it also spreads to other areas of the body (except with colon cancer, which commonly spreads to the liver only). Surgery is possible on the liver because the liver has amazing regenerative properties--up to 80 percent of it can be removed, and it will simply grow back within several weeks. Liver metastases can also be treated by radiation, chemotherapy or some combination of surgery, radiation and chemotherapy.

Cryosurgery

• Cyrosurgery is a method of removing cancer cells from the liver. It involves using a needle to freeze the tumor. This tends to be less effective than surgery because it is difficult to make the temperature of the tumor low enough to freeze it without adversely affecting nearby blood vessels and because cancer cells may be left behind.

Ablative Therapy

• Ablation involves the use of chemicals to destroy the tumor, instead of surgery or freezing. No incision is required for percutaneous ablation, but an incision is required to use radiofrequency ablation or alcohol ablation (the injection of radioactive chemicals or alcohol into the tumor). These treatments can be used as the sole treatment method or can be used to shrink a tumor to make it small enough to remove surgically.

Embolization

• Embolization involves killing the tumor by cutting off its blood supply. Doctors block the artery that supplies blood to the liver (the hepatic artery) and cut off the majority of blood flow to the liver. This deprives the tumor of the blood and oxygen it needs to survive.

Chemotherapy

• Chemotherapy may be administered intravenously and reach the liver through the blood vessels, or it can be pumped directly into the liver. Typically, the pump method is only used if the primary cancer that caused the liver metastases was colon cancer. Chemotherapy may be used after surgery and is called adjuvant therapy, to kill cancer cells that remain after liver surgery. Chemotherapy can also be used before surgery and is called neo-adjuvant therapy--to shrink the tumor so it is small enough to be removed.