Liver cancer, also known as hepatic cancer, is a malignant neoplastic disease of the liver, which starts in the liver, as opposed to a cancer that originates in another organ and migrates to the liver. In stage IV, or the final stage of liver cancer, the cancer cells metastasize to different sites in the body such as the bones and lungs. The more common symptoms of liver cancer include a pain in the upper abdomen on the right side and yellowing of the skin and whites of the eyes. However, the symptoms do not always present themselves until the cancer has progressed to more advanced stages.
Biological Therapy
Biological therapy is a form of immunotherapy that works with the body's natural immune system to help fight cancer, or helps control the side effects that could be caused after chemotherapy, radiation therapy and by some other anticancer treatments. Also, the agents used in biological therapy, such as monoclonal antibodies and vaccines, cause fewer side effects than most other anticancer drugs. According to a 2010 study conducted by the National Cancer Institute, these agents exert direct anti-tumor effects on tumor cell lines in vitro in a concentration.
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy, or chemo, is a type of cancer treatment that uses powerful chemicals to destroy any rapidly diving cells in the body such as cancer cells. These drugs have direct tumor-killing properties. Oral chemo is administered by mouth, but some chemo drugs need to be given through an intravenous tube into a vein, or by injection into a muscle. Chemo drugs enter the bloodstream and travel throughout the body to reach cancer cells. Regional chemotherapy, whereby the drugs are directed to a specific area of the body, is specifically used to treat stage IV liver cancer. A pump is surgically placed in the body to deliver chemo drugs directly into the blood vessels that feed the tumor.
Radiation Therapy
Radiation therapy is defined as a form of cancer treatment that uses high-energy beams of x-rays or other types of radiation directed at a person's body to shrink or kill cancer cells. The amount of radiation and techniques involved in radiation therapy may vary depending on the type and stage of cancer being treated. In stage IV liver cancer, radiation therapy can be delivered with or without radiosensitizers, the drugs, which make the tumor cells more likely to be damaged, according to National Cancer Institute.
