Liver Cancer Treatment Tips

There is no cure for liver cancer unless it is found in its earliest stages, and then only by means of surgery. Nonetheless, liver-cancer treatments are still helpful in allowing patients feel better and live longer, so if they follow some of these tips they will improve their quality of life and limit the pain caused by the disease.

Options

• Treatment depends on how many tumors are present, their size and location, and whether they have spread beyond the liver to other organs. The patient's general health and age must be considered, though the most important factor in determining options is the extent of the cancer's progression.

Stages

• In stage one liver cancer, the disease has not spread to other parts of the body and can be removed by surgery. In stage two, cirrhosis of the liver precludes surgery because the tumor's location in the liver increases the likelihood that an invasive procedure could create other health challenges. Stage three is advanced liver cancer, where the disease is present in both lobes or has spread to other organs. Stage four liver cancer refers to the disease returning after treatment.

Stage One Treatment

• Treatment involves surgically removing a portion of the liver. The surgeon might cut out the tumor and surrounding tissue, remove one lobe, or remove a large section of the liver, leaving normal liver tissue behind. Some patients in this early stage of liver cancer might receive a liver transplant in which the surgeon removes the entire liver from the patient and replaces it with a healthy donor liver.

Stage Two Treatment

• In stage two treatment, the doctor might insert a special probe through the abdomen to try to destroy the cancer cells with heat. Another option is to use ultrasound to guide a needle directly into the tumor to try to kill the liver cancer cells. The doctor can also insert a probe into the abdomen in an attempt to freeze and kill cancer cells. Or he can insert a catheter into the hepatic artery, which supplies blood to the liver, and inject anticancer drugs through to the cancerous cells. The doctor may insert a catheter into an artery to inject anticancer drugs through the bloodstream. Some patients might be eligible for a liver transplant during the second stage of liver cancer.

Stage Three Treatment

• Chemotherapy is the treatment of choice for stage three liver-cancer treatment, as it kills the cancer through a combination of drugs. Some patients may receive radiation therapy, which kills cancer cells through the use of high-energy rays.

Stage Four Treatment

• Sometimes liver cancer returns after the tumor has been destroyed because cancer cells remained undetected in another part of the body. The cancer usually returns within two years of treatment.