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Treatment for Liver Cancer


There are several treatments for liver cancer. The treatment options are usually dependent on the stage to which the cancer has progressed, and the extent to which it has spread. Here are some treatment methods for the condition:

  • Surgery: If you have a small tumor on the liver, a liver transplant can help you treat the condition completely. A partial hepatic resectioning may also be possible if the tumor is small enough and localized. The doctor would first try to excise the tumor and if that is not possible, the doctor would get a liver transplant for you.
  • Chemotherapy: As is with any other cancer, chemotherapy is one of the best and most common treatment methods for liver cancer. Chemotherapy may help shrink the tumors or destroy them completely. However, chemotherapy causes various side effects.
  • Biotherapy: By understanding the biological composition of the tumors, doctors have been able to synthesize medications that can help stop the growth of the tumors. Biotherapy is usually used along with chemotherapy to reduce the size of the tumors.
  • Chemoembolization: The small blood vessels that feed the tumor and allow it to grow can be blocked using this procedure, which is also known as trans-arterial chemoembolization or TACE. This therapy results in the death of the tumors.
  • Radioembolization: This is a treatment method in which radioactive molecules are attached to tiny glass beads, which are then injected into the blood vessels that feed the tumors. The radiation particles then directly attack the tumors and kill them.
  • Ablation Techniques: These are techniques that can physically destroy the tumors. These can be used for a single or sometimes multiple tumors as well. Some of the popular ablation techniques include radiofrequency ablation therapy, percutaneous ethanol (alcohol) injection.


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References
  1. Shu-Chun Chuang, Carlo La Vecchia, Paolo Boffetta, Liver cancer: Descriptive epidemiology and risk factors other than HBV and HCV infection, Cancer Letters, Volume 286, Issue 1, 1 December 2009, Pages 9-14, ISSN 0304-3835, 10.1016/j.canlet.2008.10.040.
  2. W. Thomas London, Liver Cancer: Etiology and Prevention, In: Editor-in-Chief:   Joseph R. Bertino, Editor(s)-in-Chief, Encyclopedia of Cancer (Second Edition), Academic Press, New York, 2002, Pages 39-44, ISBN 9780122275555, 10.1016/B0-12-227555-1/00123-4.