Liver Cancer

When developing your treatment plan, your cancer team will take into consideration the type of cancer, the size and growth rate of the tumor(s), your age, and the overall state of your health.

Our aim is to treat the whole body, not just the cancer. We’ll also recommend treatments that can provide relief from cancer treatment side effects.

Liver cancer treatments can include a combination of surgery (including a liver transplant), embolization, radiation therapy, targeted medical therapy, immunotherapy, advanced interventional endoscopy, and clinical trials.

Surgery for liver cancer

Surgery is typically the preferred treatment for primary liver cancer, as it can remove the tumor and offer the best chance for long-term success. Surgical procedures may include:

• Liver resection (hepatectomy) - A hepatectomy is a partial or complete removal of the liver. With partial removal, the liver can regenerate and grow back to its previous size.
• Liver transplantation - If the entire liver is removed, a liver transplant will be necessary. Liver transplants can have successful outcomes.

Embolization therapy

Embolization therapy is a treatment option for tumors that cannot be surgically removed. Substances are injected into an artery in the liver, reducing or blocking the blood flow than can kill off cancerous cells while preserving the healthy ones.

There are several forms of embolization therapies, including:

• Chemoembolization - Delivers chemotherapy directly to a tumor through a temporary catheter (narrow tube) into the main liver artery. The chemotherapy is combined with a substance that blocks the blood supply to the tumor, helping to destroy it.
• Radiofrequency or microwave ablation - A minimally invasive treatment that applies heat through a probe to destroy cancer cells in small liver tumors
• Radioembolization - Delivers tiny spheres of cancer-killing radiation (yttrium-90) to the tumor via the main liver artery

Radiation therapy

Intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) delivers targeted radiation to the tumor while sparing nearby healthy tissue to treat liver cancer. Stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) delivers pencil-thin beams of radiation to target cancer.

Targeted medical therapy

Targeted therapies aim directly at liver cancer cells and interfere with their growth while sparing healthy cells. Targeted therapy drugs for primary liver cancer include sorafenib, lenvatinib, and bevacizumab.

Immunotherapy

Immunotherapy uses specific medicines that may enable your own immune system to fight and destroy liver cancer cells. Drugs such as atezolizumab, pembrolizumab, nivolumab can boost an immune response to abnormal cells, shrinking the size of a tumor or slowing its growth.

Advanced interventional endoscopy

Blockage of the bile duct is a potential complication of liver tumors, previous liver surgery, and bile duct cancer. Our interventional endoscopists are known for their expertise in the use of endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) to treat bile duct obstructions, relieving pain and other symptoms.

Clinical trials

Promising new methods of liver cancer treatments are being tested by top medical researchers. Your cancer care team will let you know if you are eligible to participate in a clinical trial.