Despite advances in technology, liver cancer is still difficult to treat, particularly in the later stages when the survival rate is very slim. Surgical removal is often the best solution. Surgery can be difficult because the tumors are often too large for complete removal. Some tumors can be removed through ethanol injections or heated electrodes. Chemotherapy drugs may also be delivered directly into the tumors in some cases. The methods used, like the survival rates, depend on the stages of the cancer.
Early Stages
The best chance at surviving liver cancer is when the disease is discovered in its early stages. Early stage cancer has a survival rate that ranges from 30 to 60 percent, according to the American Cancer Society (ACS). As with other cancers, the 5-year rate is a mark in which treatment has been considered successful. Many people live longer than the 5 years. The more the cancer has advanced, the less the chance of survival are for liver cancer patients.
Later Stages
The 5-year survival rate is less than 5 percent for people who have cancer that has spread throughout the liver by the time it is detected. The length of time to live can be measured in months at that stage. The ACS points out that surviving liver cancer depends on the individual, despite overall statistics. Each person's situation is different. Each patient may have fewer or more complications accompanying the disease than another patient.
Cirrhosis
Taking into account patients in all stages of liver cancer, the overall 5-year survival rate is estimated at less than 10 percent, the ACS notes. Many people with liver cancer have also developed other liver problems such as cirrhosis, an often fatal disease, which is part of the reason for such low survival rates.
Awareness
The incidence of liver cancer tripled in the U.S. from 1975 to 2005, according to the National Cancer Institute's Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) program. But advanced treatment was able to improve the 1- through 5-year survival rates significantly between 1992 and 2005, it was reported in the February 18, 2009, issue of the American Society of Clinical Oncology. This positive result may have had to do with more cancers being diagnosed in the early stages. Awareness of screening to detect liver cancer has led to early detection.
Other Factors
It is not understood why liver cancer incidence increased, SEER reports. But it may have something to do with an increase in hepatitis C, a factor in liver disease, often diagnosed in drug users and people involved in unsafe sexual practices. Heavy alcohol consumption, fatty liver disease, obesity and diabetes mellitus may also contribute to liver cancer rates.
