So far we have looked
through the multiple steps that lead up to one important factor when looking at
liver cancer. For many cancer patients,
and their families, this step can sometimes be one of the toughest steps on the
road to recovery. This step that I am referring
to is treatment. When going through the
battle of any type of cancer, this is one of the longest and toughest stages of
the fighting process. Before deciding
what treatment option is right for you, the patient, it is important that you
understand each of the options you have available. It is important to keep in mind that the type
of treatment you have available to you is also affected by the stage your
cancer has been classified.
Unfortunately, liver
cancer is difficult to cure. Primary
liver cancer is difficult to detect in its early stages, as we discussed
previously, when it can be treated most effectively. Secondary liver cancer is difficult to treat
because this means the cancer has already spread from another location within
the body. Because of the location of the
liver within the body, surgery is quite difficult to complete due to the
various blood vessels and bile ducts surrounding it. With these ideas in mind, treatment for liver
cancer tends to be strongly focused on simply making the patient feel better,
more comfortable, and hopefully live longer than expected.
Just like many other
cancers, quite a few options are available to treatment, depending upon the
stage one’s cancer is diagnosed. Listed
below are treatment options with brief descriptions that may be used for
patients with liver cancer. Also listed
with treatment options are the side effects for each treatment type. Each treatment type is likely to impact
patients differently depending how their body is impacted by the treatment. It is very important for patients to discuss
treatment options over with their doctor because they will have the best idea
about which treatment option will be the best for you, their patient.
·
Radiation Therapy
o Radiation therapy consists of high-powered energy
beams that target areas of the liver in order to shrink the tumor and/or
destroy the cancer cells.
o Side Effects:
§ Skin changes similar to that of sunburn: redness,
peeling, blistering at the sight of radiation
§ Nausea and vomiting
§ Fatigue
§ Low blood counts
 |
Chemotherapy
o Chemotherapy is a drug that is used to treat cancer,
aimed towards destroying the cancer cells.
o Unfortunately, liver cancer usually rejects most
chemo drugs. They tend to only shrink
the tumor very slightly, and these drugs don’t typically the response to the
tumor and cancer cells doesn’t last very long.
o Chemotherapy also comes with quite a few side
effects:
§ Loss of hair
§ Mouth sores
§ Loss of appetite
§ Nausea and vomiting
§ Diarrhea
§ Low white blood cell accounts, leading to increased
chance of infections
§ Low platelet counts, leading to easy bruising and
bleeding
§ Fatigue, from low red blood cell count
 |
Surgery
o Currently, surgery seems to offer patients the best
chance for a true cure of liver cancer; however, this is only if all known
cancer is removed. Two common types of
surgery for liver cancer patients includes resection, which is removal of the
tumor, or a liver transplant.
o Side effects from surgery (through removal)
§ Bleeding problems, from the inability to clot
§ Infections
§ Problems from anesthesia
§ Blood clots
§ Pneumonia
o Side effects from liver transplant
§ Problems tend to arise from the drugs given to the
patients to prevent their body from rejecting the liver transplant.
·
Increased risk
of infection
·
High blood
pressure
·
High cholesterol
·
Diabetes
·
Weakened bones
and kidneys
·
Lead to new
cancer
 |
·
Tumor Ablation
o This treatment focuses on destroying liver cancer
cells without actually removing the cancer cells from the body. Patients who use this form of treatment
typically have only a few small tumors, and no more than 3 centimeters across,
but aren’t a good candidate for surgery.
Although this form of treatment doesn’t work as well as surgery, it does
work well for some patients and is typically used in patients waiting for a
liver transplant.
o Side effects:
§ Abdominal pain
§ Liver infections
§ Bleeding in the chest cavity or abdomen
 |
Tumor Embolization
o This form of treatment consists of injections of substances
used to try and block/reduce the blood flow the cancer cells receive. This option is used for students with
cancerous tumors that cannot be removed through surgery. Many times this form of treatment is used
with ablation.
o Side effects:
§ Abdominal pain
§ Fever
§ Nausea
§ Infection to the liver
§ Inflammation of the gallbladder
§ Blood clots within the vessels surrounding the liver
 |
There are many times
when a patient’s doctor is looking at treatment options that they will end up
suggesting that their patient do a combination of two different treatments in
order to get the most effective treatment possible for killing the cancer cells
and shrinking the tumor. No matter the
circumstance, it is always important to discuss your options with your doctor
to ensure you understand your best possible options.
Resources:
http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/liver-cancer/basics/treatment/con-20025222
http://www.webmd.com/cancer/understanding-liver-cancer-treatment
http://www.cancer.org/cancer/livercancer/detailedguide/liver-cancer-treating-general-info
Resources:
http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/liver-cancer/basics/treatment/con-20025222
http://www.webmd.com/cancer/understanding-liver-cancer-treatment
http://www.cancer.org/cancer/livercancer/detailedguide/liver-cancer-treating-general-info
