Navigating the treatmentjourney together
Navigate the Treatment Options
Surgery treats liver cancer by physically removing cancer from the body. In a liver resection, the surgeon removes the portion of your loved one’s liver containing the tumor along with a margin of nearby healthy tissue. How much is removed depends on the tumor and how much healthy, functioning liver can safely remain. For certain patients, a liver transplant may be considered, replacing the diseased liver with a healthy donor liver.
Systemic therapy uses medicines that travel through the bloodstream to reach cancer cells throughout the body. Depending on the therapy, these medicines may help your loved one’s immune system recognize and attack cancer cells or interfere with specific processes cancer cells use to grow and survive. Systemic therapies are commonly used for advanced liver cancer and may also be combined with other treatment approaches.
Radiation therapy uses high-energy rays or particles to damage the DNA of cancer cells, making it harder for them to grow and divide. For liver cancer, highly focused approaches such as stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) can direct radiation at a tumor while limiting exposure to nearby healthy tissue. Radiation may be used to control tumor growth or help relieve symptoms such as pain in certain situations.
Ablation treats a tumor by destroying cancerous tissue rather than surgically removing it. During the procedure, an interventional radiologist uses imaging to guide a thin probe into your loved one’s tumor. The probe delivers energy that generates heat to destroy cancer cells within the targeted area.
Ablation may be considered for patients with a limited number of small liver tumors. Whether it is an option depends on factors such as tumor size and location, liver function, overall health, and other individual considerations.
Major surgical procedure performed under general anesthesia.
Depending on the medication, your loved one may receive treatment through an IV infusion or take medication by mouth, often on a recurring schedule.
Most commonly through an external radiation machine. Techniques such as SBRT deliver focused beams of high-dose radiation to the tumor from multiple angles. Some patients may receive internal radiation approaches.
A thin probe is guided into the tumor using imaging such as ultrasound or CT. The procedure can often be performed without open surgery, through a small opening in the skin the size of a dime.
Your loved one may experience pain, fatigue, nausea, temporary changes in appetite, and other effects associated with surgery and anesthesia.
Side effects vary by medication and may include fatigue, nausea, decreased appetite, diarrhea, skin changes or rash, muscle or joint pain, and other treatment-specific effects.
Your loved one may experience fatigue, nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, diarrhea, or skin changes in the treated area. Side effects vary depending on the type and location of treatment.
Your loved one may experience temporary pain or discomfort, fever, skin irritation, or changes in liver-function blood tests.
Risks can include bleeding, infection, blood clots, pneumonia, complications from anesthesia, and reduced liver function. Transplant carries additional risks, including organ rejection and complications from medicines used to suppress the immune system.
Immunotherapy can sometimes cause the immune system to attack healthy organs, while certain targeted therapies may increase the risk of bleeding, high blood pressure, blood clots, or liver and kidney problems.
Radiation can affect nearby healthy tissue. A less common but potentially serious complication of liver radiation is radiation-induced liver disease.
Possible complications include bleeding, infection, damage to nearby structures, and other procedure-related complications. Serious complications are possible but are not common.
Surgery typically requires a hospital stay. How long your loved one stays depends on the type of surgery, their health, and how recovery progresses.
Many systemic treatments are provided on an outpatient basis without an overnight hospital stay. Treatment may continue for months or longer depending on the medication and how the cancer responds.
External radiation is generally delivered on an outpatient basis without a hospital stay. The number of visits varies by treatment type; SBRT, for example, may be delivered over several treatments.
Ablation can often be performed on an outpatient basis without an overnight stay, although some patients may stay for observation depending on the procedure and their overall health.
Recovery can take several weeks or longer. Your loved one may need help following activity restrictions, managing appointments and medications, and getting to follow-up visits, blood tests, and imaging. Transplant recipients require lifelong follow-up and anti-rejection medication.
Your loved one will likely have regular appointments, blood tests, imaging, and monitoring for side effects. As a caregiver, keeping track of symptoms and changes between appointments can provide useful information to share with the care team.
Some side effects can continue for several weeks after treatment. You can help your loved one monitor symptoms, keep follow-up appointments, and prepare for imaging used to evaluate the treated tumor and liver function.
Follow-up typically includes imaging and blood tests to evaluate the treated area and liver function. Care teams will provide instructions about activity, symptoms to watch for, and follow-up care. As a caregiver, you can help keep track of these instructions and provide support during recovery.
Liver cancer can return after surgery, either near the original site or elsewhere. Continued surveillance with imaging and other follow-up testing is an important part of your loved one’s ongoing care.
Care teams will monitor whether tumors shrink, remain stable, or continue to grow. Treatment may be adjusted over time based on how the cancer responds and how well treatment is tolerated.
Radiation can control a tumor in the treated area, but cancer may recur or develop elsewhere. Ongoing surveillance remains an important part of care.
Treating a tumor with ablation does not prevent new liver tumors from developing or cancer from returning. Helping a loved one stay on schedule with follow-up imaging and appointments is an important part of ongoing care.
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