WHAT IS LIVER CANCER?
Liver cancer begins in the tissues of the liver, an organ that sits in the upper right portion of the abdomen. Liver cancer is of two types: Primary (which means cancer starts in the liver) and Secondary (which means the liver is just the organ to which the cancer has spread from another place.)
WHAT ARE THE POSSIBLE TREATMENTS OF LIVER CANCER?
Several options are currently used for treating cancer that has metastasized to the liver. In most cases, treatment will be palliative. This means that it will be used to control symptoms of cancer and prolong life but will not likely result in cure. Generally, the choice of treatments will depend on:
- The person’s age and overall health
- The size, location, and number of metastatic tumours
- Location and type of the primary cancer
- Types of cancer treatment the patient had in the past
The treatment options are as follows:
- SYSTEMIC THERAPIES: Systemic cancer therapies treat the whole body through the bloodstream. These therapies include:
- Chemotherapy: Chemotherapy is a form of treatment that uses drugs to kill cancer cells. It targets cells that grow and multiply quickly, including some healthy cells.
- Biological Response Modifier (BRM) Therapy: BRM therapy is a treatment that uses antibodies, growth factors, and vaccines to boost or restore the immune system.
- This helps your immune system’s ability to fight cancer. BRM therapy does not have the usual side effects of other cancer therapies and, in most cases, is well tolerated.
- TARGETED THERAPY: Targeted therapy also kills cancer cells, but it’s more precise. Unlike chemotherapy drugs, targeted treatments can differentiate between cancer and healthy cells. These drugs can kill cancer cells and leave healthy cells intact. Targeted therapies have different side effects than some other cancer treatments. Side effects, which can be severe, include fatigue and diarrhoea.
- HORMONAL THERAPY: Hormonal therapy can slow or stop the growth of certain types of tumours that rely on hormones to grow, such as breast and prostate cancer.
- LOCALIZED THERAPIES: Localized therapies target only tumour cells and nearby tissue. They can be used when the liver tumours are small in size and number.
- Radiation Therapy: This therapy uses high-energy radiation to kill cancer cells and shrink tumours. It may come from:
- Radiation machines, such as external beam radiation
- Radioactive materials placed in the body near cancer cells, known as internal radiation
- Radioactive substances that travel through the bloodstream
- RADIOFREQUENCY ABLATION (RFA): RFA is commonly used to treat primary liver cancer and can be used to treat liver metastasis. RFA is a procedure that uses high-frequency electrical currents to create heat that destroys the cancer cells.
- Surgical removal is possible when there are a small number of tumours that affect only a small area of the liver.
WHY KIMS?
AT KIMS, our doctors have at their fingertips the most modern techniques and technology to diagnose and treat liver cancer. And they use them with extraordinary skill.
And, at KIMS you're surrounded by the strength of one of the nation's largest and most experienced comprehensive cancer centres, which has all the support and wellness services needed to treat the whole person – not just the disease.