Treatment for Cancer of Liver

Treatment for Cancer of Liver 

Liver cancer is very difficult to control especially primary liver cancer, unless the tumour is found in the early stages when it is very small. Chemotherapy ( treatment with anti-cancer drugs), radiation therapy (treatment with high-energy rays), biological therapy ( treatment using substances that help the body fight the cancer), or a combination of these treatment methods is used for treatment. 

Surgical removal is the best option but these tumours are often too large and too extensive for surgery. Chemotherapy is occasionally used for inoperable tumours but any benefit is usually shortlived. Unfortunately, survival rates for primary liver cancer are low. 

The treatment of secondary ( metastatic) liver cancer is determined by the site of origin of the original (primary) tumour. The outlook is better for patients with secondary, as opposed to primary, liver cancer. 

Surgery is increasingly being used for patients with secondary liver cancer. This can sometimes involve removing a segment of the liver. The presence of secondary cancer within the liver implies that the primary tumour has spread via the bloodstream and as a result other organs may be at risk. Therefore, treatment modality such as chemotherapy, which acts all over the body is used. The type of chemotherapy used will depend on the type of primary cancer. Conventional radiotherapy has little role to play in the management of liver cancer, whether primary or secondary. Liver transplantation is not usually a viable option as the cancer has often spread beyond the liver itself and medicines used to suppress the immune system after the transplant can stimulate the growth of any remaining cancer cells. 

Cancer of Liver
Causes of Cancer of Liver
Symptoms of Cancer of Liver
Treatment for Cancer of Liver
Diagnosis for Cancer of Liver