The liver is an organ responsible for filtering wastes, producing hormones, and aiding in the process of digestion. Liver cancer occurs when malignant cancer cells begin to grow and spread within the tissue of the liver. Liver cancer can be primary, which arises in the liver (e.g., as a result of cirrhosis), or it can be metastatic, spreading from another tumor somewhere else in the body. The treatment for liver cancer depends on the grading and staging of the cancer, as well as the patient's overall health.
Surgery
Surgery may be an option for the treatment of liver cancer. If the cancer is localized to one area of the liver, the probability of surgery being an option is much higher than if it has spread throughout several areas of the organ. According to the American Cancer Society, surgeons have to remove enough of the liver to try to get all of the cancer, yet leave enough behind for the liver to work properly. This may be difficult in patients with an underlying liver disease, such as cirrhosis, which limits the amount of healthy functioning liver tissue. In more advanced cases, a liver transplant surgery may be an option if the cancer is unable to be treated with surgery and a compatible donor match is found.
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy is the use of strong medications to kill cancer cells and keep them from spreading. Chemotherapy may be administered in several ways. It can be given through a vein (intravenously), or in the form of a pill taken by mouth. Only certain types of chemotherapy drugs have been successful in treating liver cancer. Chemotherapy may be given directly into the hepatic artery to treat the cancer locally. Chemoembolization is a type of chemotherapy treatment that supplies strong anti-cancer drugs directly to the liver, reports the Mayo Clinic.
Radiation Therapy
External beam radiation therapy is the use of high beam x-rays to help reduce the size of a liver tumor. This type of radiation may be used to shrink a liver tumor, or to give relief from symptoms like pain, but it does not cure the liver cancer and usually does not help people live longer, reports the American Cancer Society. Side effects of radiation therapy include skin burns similar to sunburn, fatigue, nausea, and vomiting. These side effects usually disappear after radiation therapy is discontinued.
