Liver cancer treatment

Liver cancer is a malignant disease that manifests itself as a tumor. It can be primary - a neoplasm develops from the cells of the organ, or secondary - a metastasis of cancer of another location. This must be clarified at the diagnostic stage, since the treatment tactics in both cases are significantly different.

Oxford Medical has modern departments of instrumental diagnostics, oncology and surgery. The clinic has installed new expert-class equipment, which allows you to detect neoplasms from 1 mm in size and perform operations of any complexity. Thanks to this and the involvement of experienced specialists, we have created all the conditions for effective cancer treatment.

Oxford Medical has created all the conditions for thorough diagnosis and treatment of liver cancer. The clinic has installed new expert-class equipment, which allows you to visualize tumors from 1 mm in size, as well as perform complex minimally invasive operations. For this, the clinic is equipped with a high-tech surgical hospital with two operating rooms, intensive care and an intensive care unit.

Treatment of malignant diseases is carried out by highly qualified oncologists and oncological surgeons with more than 20 years of experience. According to reviews of patients and colleagues, many of them are considered the best not only in Kyiv, but also in all of Ukraine.

To make an appointment for a consultation, call our contact center or write to the chat on the website.

In more than 95% of patients, liver cancer is secondary. It develops as a metastasis of cancer of another location, most often the mammary glands, lungs, kidneys, gastrointestinal tract and female genitourinary system. This occurs due to the spread of malignant cells through the circulatory system and their settlement in the liver. Therefore, the type of tumor and its aggressiveness depends on the characteristics of the initial focus.

Primary liver cancer occurs in only 3-5% of cases.

Depending on the morphological features, the following types of neoplasms are distinguished:

• cholangiocellular cancer;
• hepatocholangiocellular carcinoma;
• fibrolamellar carcinoma;
• cystadenocarcinoma;
• epithelioid hemangioendothelioma;
• angiosarcoma;
• hepatoblastoma;
• undifferentiated sarcoma.

For an initial examination, you should contact your family doctor, therapist or hepatologist. During the consultation, the specialist will study the patient's medical history and symptoms. After that, he will conduct an examination and palpation of the abdomen to check for ascites and an increase in the size of the liver.

To clarify the exact diagnosis, the doctor may prescribe:

• blood tests;
• liver ultrasound;
• CT or MRI of the liver;
• CT angiography of the hepatic vessels;
• biopsy;
• histological analysis and other examinations.

In most cases, an ultrasound of the liver is performed first, which allows you to assess its structure and detect neoplasms, as well as laboratory tests. For a more accurate diagnosis, CT or MRI with contrast is sometimes used. They provide layer-by-layer scanning of the liver and visualization of large vessels. As a result, the doctor receives information about the exact size, shape and location of the neoplasm.

Only histological analysis allows you to accurately confirm cancer. To do this, a biopsy is performed - a thin needle is inserted through the abdominal wall into the liver and a sample of tumor tissue is taken. The procedure is performed under ultrasound control. Local or general anesthesia (sedation) is used for pain relief.

In addition, to determine the stage of the cancer and whether it is primary or metastatic, CT scans of various areas of the body are performed.

In operable tumors, surgical treatment is first performed. Depending on the size, one or two segments of the liver are removed. Since the organ has the property of self-regeneration, in many patients the volume of the liver is restored over time.

In case of damage to most of the tissues, concomitant cirrhosis and some other pathologies, liver transplantation is possible.

If the operation is considered inexpedient or there are contraindications to its implementation, the patient may be recommended:

• embolization of the hepatic artery - blocking the blood flow through the vessels that feed the tumor;
• chemoembolization - injection of drugs into the vessels of the liver;
• local destruction - performed by laser, radio wave or cryoablation.

Also, for primary and metastatic liver lesions, the following are used:

• radiation therapy - irradiation of the tumor with radioactive energy, which contributes to the destruction of its tissues;
• chemotherapy – exposure to cytostatic and cytotoxic drugs that block cell division and cause tumor destruction;
• targeted therapy – involves taking drugs that directly affect the detected type of cancer cells.

For each patient, the treatment program is compiled individually based on state and international protocols. It may include several methods. Most often, surgery is performed first, and then radiation or chemotherapy is prescribed to reduce the risk of recurrence and/or treat metastases. For large tumors, they can also be performed as the first stage of treatment – ​​sometimes this allows you to achieve a reduction in the size of malignant tissues and perform radical surgery.

If the liver tumor is a metastasis, treatment largely depends on the primary diagnosis, but the tactics in most cases remain the same.

In the later stages, when therapy is ineffective, palliative treatment is performed in order to improve the patient's condition and increase life expectancy.

Most often, liver cancer is a metastasis of a malignant tumor of another organ. The primary lesion is detected in only 5% of patients.

To reduce the risk of cancer, doctors recommend:

• leading a healthy lifestyle;
• eating right;
• exercising regularly;
• maintaining a normal weight;
• quitting smoking and drinking alcohol;
• preventing helminthic diseases;
• treating all liver diseases in a timely manner;
• having an annual medical examination by a doctor, even in the absence of complaints.

Regular preventive examinations are the key to early diagnosis of cancer, when treatment is most effective. To do this, it is enough to visit a doctor once every six months or a year, take several blood tests and do an ultrasound. If a tumor is detected at stage 0 or 1, more than 90% of patients recover completely.