Liver cancer, though common worldwide, is less common in the United States, according to the Mayo Clinic. In many cases, liver cancer begins in another part of the body, such as the lungs or breast. While the goal of any treatment is to eliminate the cancer, for some the focus may be on preventing the spread of the cancer or comfort care.
Surgery
The American Cancer Society explains that the best chance of complete cancer elimination, as of 2010, is surgery. If the tumor is small and liver function is good, a hepatectomy is an option. This procedure involves the removal of the tumor and a small portion of healthy tissue. In many cases this is not possible, as the cancer is too large, or has spread to too many areas of the liver or to other areas of the body. The surgeon must be able to remove enough of the liver to remove all of the cancer, yet leave enough of the liver to ensure proper functioning.
Another surgical option is a liver transplant. This is an option for those with early-stage liver cancer, and entails removal of the liver and replacement with one that is healthy. Currently, this is only an option for those with small tumors on their liver.
Ablations
Ablations come in many forms and do not cure the cancer, but destroy the tumor without removing it. The American Cancer Society explains that ablations are options for those with a few small tumors doctors cannot remove, or for those waiting for a transplant.
One type of ablation is cryoablation, which freezes the cancer cells with the use of liquid nitrogen. It may be the only treatment or may be combined with surgery or chemotherapy.
Heating the cancer cells is another form of ablation, and uses an electric current to heat and destroy cancer cells. The surgeon inserts a number of several, thin needles into abdominal incisions. Once they reach the liver, they heat and destroy the cancer cells.
Embolization
Various types of embolization exist as well, with the goal being to prevent further tumor growth. Embolization alone is a process that includes injecting a substance into the artery responsible for carrying blood to the tumor on the liver, as the American Cancer Society explains. This in turn prevents the growth of the tumor.
Chemoembolization is the process of injecting chemotherapy drugs directly into the liver, while radioembolization is a combination of radiation therapy and embolization. It injects small radioactive beads into the artery carrying blood to the liver, allowing the radiation to attack only the tumor itself.
Radiation Therapy
A standard form of treatment for many types of cancer, radiation therapy is not as effective for liver cancer. Delivering high beams of energy to the site of the cancer, radiation therapy does destroy the cancerous cells of the liver while shrinking the tumor. However it destroys normal liver tissue too when given at higher, effective doses. As the American Cancer Society explains, it may provide relief from pain, but it does not cure the cancer and often does not extend the patient's life.
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy is typically a standard treatment choice for many cancers, just like radiation, however liver cancer usually does not respond well to many chemotherapy drugs. It is also debatable whether chemotherapy extends the lives of patients.
The drugs are given either orally or through a vein, and the drugs spread through the blood stream, destroying cancer cells that have spread to various organs.
