A liver cancer diagnosis can often feel overwhelming and bring in a lot of fears and questions. One of the first things the patients and their loved ones would want to know is whether this cancer is curable or not. The answer is yes! If the cancer is caught in the early stages, various treatment options like surgery and liver transplant might be an effective option, although the success of the treatment given often depends on the stage and extent of cancer. However, it is an aggressive and complex form of cancer, hence early diagnosis is the key. The challenge to early diagnosis is that liver cancer does not usually show any symptoms in the early stages, and by the time the patient shows any symptoms, the cancer progresses to advanced stages. For patients in advanced stages, treatment options like immunotherapy and chemotherapy help in slowing down the progression of cancer and improve the quality of life. While various researchers and experts still continue to find even better liver cancer treatment options, in this article, we will discuss in detail about liver cancer, and the treatment options available for it.
What is liver cancer?
liver cancer is a life-threatening and rapidly growing form of cancer. There are two types of liver cancer. The first form, also called primary liver cancer, is one which originates in the liver itself, while the second form, known as secondary liver cancer is the one that spreads to the liver from other parts of the body. Like many other forms of cancer, the key to a successful treatment of liver cancer depends on the early diagnosis of the condition. Liver cancer is not a common form of cancer, but its cases are on the rise globally.
Which tests can diagnose liver cancer?
- Blood tests- These tests might reveal abnormalities in the liver function
- Imaging Test – A doctor might also advise certain imaging tests such as CT scan, MRI or Ultrasound.
- Biopsy – Sometimes it is required to take samples of cells from the liver to make a definitive diagnosis of cancer cells.
Once the cancer is diagnosed, doctors try to know the extent to which the cancer has spread or reached. Staging tests such as CT scans, MRIs and bone scans can help the doctor understand the size, location and spread of the liver cancer cells.
What are the treatment options available?
There are various options of treatment for liver cancer available based on the stage it is in. Some of them are:
- Surgery – If the cancer tissue is small and the liver function is good enough, the doctor might advise liver cancer surgery to remove the cancer cells from the liver along with a few healthy cells surrounding it. It might depend on the location and size of the cancer cells and the overall health of the patient.
- Liver transplant – In this surgery, the damaged liver of the patient is removed and replaced with a healthy liver from a donor. This is an option only for a small percentage of patients whose cancer is still in early stages.
- Heating Cancer Cells – With the technology of radiofrequency ablation, electric current is used to transfer heat to the liver cancer cells and destroy them.
- Transarterial Chemoembolization – Transarterial Chemoembolization (TACE) is a minimally invasive treatment option for liver cancer, that successfully combines chemotherapy delivery and embolization to the cancer cells present in the liver, while also blocking blood flow to the tumors. It is used in cases where surgery and other treatment options are not suitable.
- Radiation Therapy – This liver cancer treatment option involves the use of high beams of energy from sources such as X-rays and protons to destroy cancer cells and shrink tumours. If other forms of treatment don’t seem to help or they are not an option, radiation therapy is used as an alternative. In this therapy, the energy is directed to the cancerous cells, while sparing the healthy parts of the liver.
- Immunotherapy – It is a therapy that uses the immune system of the patient’s body to treat the cancer. This treatment option is generally used for patients who have been diagnosed with advanced-stage liver cancer.
- Chemotherapy – chemo treatment for liver cancer is a therapy that uses drugs to kill the rapidly growing cancerous cells. Chemotherapy can be injected in a vein, or used as a pill, or both.
Hence, it is clear by now that there are various treatment options available for liver cancer, however, it might still be tricky as it is an aggressive and complex form of cancer. Thus, it becomes extremely important to catch this form of cancer in its early stages in order to ensure a successful treatment. Regular tests, proper lifestyle and taking adequate care of the liver is extremely important in order to avoid and prevent instances of such problems.
If you are looking for the best liver cancer specialist in Mohali or liver cancer hospital in Chandigarh, Sohana Hospital might be an option for you. Sohana Hospital Mohali boasts of the world’s most advanced, cutting-edge technology and North India’s leading and most trusted cancer specialists, who provide the most holistic and comprehensive care for all the patients of cancer, with the most compassionate and patient-centric approach. Sohana Hospital believes in the importance of making gold standards of healthcare available for every individual in need.