Primary Liver Cancer Treatment

In the early stages of liver cancer there may be no symptoms in some cases while others experience pain in the upper right abdomen, weight loss, nausea, fatigue, weakness, vomiting and water retention among others. While there cannot be any guarantee or fool proof method to prevent liver cancer, there are ways to ensure a healthy lifestyle without causing any harm to the liver. Smoking, excessive alcohol, and practicing unsafe sex can exacerbate liver conditions, thereby causing cancer. Protection against hepatitis is essential. Those with cirrhosis ought to have regular checkups to rule out the growth of any tumors in the liver. Thanks to ongoing research, advances in the diagnosis of liver cancer have been made with the help of Fibroscan, a device to measure liver fibrosis.

Liver cancer treatment varies from person to person, while the type and frequency of treatment depends on the stage. Among the most common treatments are chemotherapy, surgery, radiation therapy, and in some cases, a liver transplant. Radiation therapy involves the use of high energy rays or X-rays to destroy any tumors and liver cancer cells. Chemotherapy is also an effective form of treatment where drugs are slowly introduced into the bloodstream, thereby killing cancer cells. This therapy also helps reduce pain. However, it causes many side effects that can impair a patient's quality of life. Systemic treatment is administered by inserting a needle into the vein or artery, allowing the drug to travel through the bloodstream. Regional chemotherapy is another type of chemotherapy where a small pump is placed in the body. The pump contains drugs that are directly introduced into the blood vessels, destroying the tumor.

Treatment for liver cancer has always posed a challenge to the medical fraternity since many patients have already damaged livers from hepatitis B that leads to cirrhosis and severe malfunctioning of the liver. Surgery is usually recommended by doctors in the initial stage when a tumor is deemed surgically resectable, thereby giving patients the chance of long-term survival. However, post surgical treatment and follow up is essential to eliminate any risk of recurrence.

Liver cancer that arises from the liver cells or from the bile duct is known as primary liver cancer. Treating primary liver cancer is difficult. Among the best options is surgery, however, one major drawback is that large tumors may be too extensive for surgery. Ethanol injections are also administered as a form of treatment, whereby the liver cancer cells are destroyed. Radio frequency ablation RFA is another technique where tumors are heated with electrodes through keyhole surgery or the use of needles passed through the skin. Transarterial chemoembolisation TACE is a technique used to treat advanced tumors. This involves the placement of a catheter into the artery that supplies the tumor. The catheter delivers chemotherapy drugs to the tumor, which destroys it and cuts off the blood supply as well.

While there may be many forms of treatment available, the type and intensity of treatment varies from person to person. All types of treatment aim at destroying liver cancer cells and preventing their spread to other organs of the body.