Surgery is usually the recommended treatment for liver cancer if the tumor is limited to one area of the liver and hasn’t spread to nearby blood vessels, and if the liver is otherwise healthy enough. But for many patients, surgery isn’t the best option — or even possible, according to a panel of Memorial Sloan Kettering liver cancer experts. A variety of reasons, including underlying liver disease or the location, size, and number of tumors, can make treatment more challenging.
For those patients, the liver cancer treatment team may recommend other strategies as an alternative or complement to surgery. Those treatments can include chemotherapy, a liver transplant, or minimally invasive procedures that can destroy or interfere with tumor growth, including:
- Delivering cancer-killing chemotherapy drugs via a catheter into the artery feeding the tumor, in a procedure known as chemoembolism
- Injecting substances into the liver that cut off the blood supply the tumor needs for growth
- Ablation, which involves inserting a heated probe into the tumor to kill it
- Internal radiation therapy, which consists of injecting microscopic, radiation-packed capsules into the artery that supplies blood to the tumor.
The panel — which included a Memorial Sloan Kettering hepatologist (liver specialist), two oncologists, and a surgeon — discussed the latest advances in liver cancer screening, diagnosis, treatment, and research during a CancerSmart talk in May.
Comments
Arun
Aug 21, 2014 • 9:20 AM
Dear Arun, unfortunately we cannot offer personal medical advice. Our doctors would need to evaluate the patient in order to make a treatment recommendation. In general, though, surgery is the preferred treatment for primary liver cancer if the tumor is confined to one area of the liver and has not spread to nearby blood vessels, and there is no underlying medical condition such as cirrhosis. If the cancer is more advanced, our doctors may recommend ablation, chemotherapy, or biologic therapy.
You can learn more about treatment options for primary liver cancer here: http://www.mskcc.org/cancer-care/adult/liver/treatment and here: http://www.mskcc.org/cancer-care/adult/liver/fibrolamellar-hepatocellul….
Thanks so much for your question.
Fred Nagy
Aug 27, 2014 • 3:48 PM
Dear Fred, our liver cancer team treats patients with cholangiocarcinoma. Cryoablation is an interventional treatment option for patients, and you can watch a video about interventional techniques for liver cancer here: http://www.mskcc.org/videos/minimally-invasive-treatment-options-people…. Learn more about all the treatment options we offer our liver cancer patients here: http://www.mskcc.org/cancer-care/adult/liver/approach. Thanks so much for reaching out, and we wish you the best.
Rosina John
Oct 11, 2014 • 5:14 PM
Rosina, unfortunately we we are not able to answer personal medical questions on our blog. This is something you should discuss with your husband’s physician. If you’d like to make an appointment to speak with a doctor at MSK you can call 800-525-2225 during regular business hours or go to http://www.mskcc.org/cancer-care/appointment for more information. Thank you for your comment.
Juan De Cuba
Nov 21, 2018 • 9:19 AM
I am 60 years old and a Surgeon , i have the diagnosis of intrahepatic colangiocarcinima in segments 5 ,6 and 7 ;,no intraor extrahepatic biliary ducts compression ; the biggest lesion is in segmnt 5 of 7 cms , little comprresion though on right branch portal vein ans with petscan a 1 only lesion in vertebral body thoraxic 5 ;,
Apart from the only 1 metastasis to TH 5 , is there some indicaction for the hepatic tumors itself ? Thks in advance ; Juan De Cuba
Memorial Sloan Kettering
Nov 21, 2018 • 12:56 PM
In reply to I am 60 years old and a… by Juan De Cuba
Dear Juan, we are not able to answer personal medical questions on our blog. If you are interested in coming to MSK for a consultation, you can call 800-525-2225 or go to https://www.mskcc.org/experience/become-patient/appointment for more information on making an appointment. Thank you for your comment, and best wishes to you.
Hello,
Could someone please share on what treatment options are available for patients where the liver is impacted significantly and there is a shrinkage of the portal vein? The patient is close to 69 years old.