Protected: Liver cancer treatment

The procedures we use to treat liver cancer

At the Royal Free London PPU, we offer a variety of treatment options for liver cancer.

The procedure your consultant recommends will vary depending on factors like your age, general health, lifestyle needs, the stage that the cancer has progressed to, the size of your tumour and the type of liver cancer you are diagnosed with.

There are two main types of liver cancer –hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and cholangiocarcinoma (bile duct cancer) –and identifying the right form of treatment can vary depending on which type you have.

Some of the main treatments you may be recommended as part of your treatment plan include:

• Liver resection: If the cancer can be removed by preserving a large enough liver remnant and the liver is sufficiently healthy, then surgical resection can be performed
• Liver transplant: if you are eligible for a liver transplant, this will involve removing the entirety of the cancerous liver and replacing it with a healthy alternative from a donor.
• Radiofrequency or microwave ablation: we use microwaves or radio waves to heat the tumour, kill cancer cells and cause the tumour to shrink in size.
• Stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT): this specific form of radiotherapy involves using high-dose beams of radiation to precisely target the tumour and kill cancer cells, while sparing any surrounding healthy tissue.
• Chemotherapy: powerful medications are used to to kill cancer cells and may be recommended if the cancer has spread to other areas of your body (known as metastasis).
• Trans arterial chemoembolisation (TACE): this is a specific type of chemotherapy that involves delivering chemotherapy medicines directly to the liver while also blocking the blood supply to the tumour itself.
• Immunotherapy: this treatment exploits the use of antibodies to fight off cancer cells more effectively and is often used for advanced cases of cancer or when other treatments are not feasible.

Liver cancer treatment side effects

As with any form of treatment or surgical procedure, there are various side effects associated with the treatments used for liver cancer. These will vary depending on the specific type of treatment being administered.

• Surgical treatments, including resection and transplantation, carry a potential risk of infection, bleeding and mortality. However, the average risk of mortality from these types of treatments is usually less than 5%.
• Due to the type of drugs used during chemotherapy, some patients may experience side effects like bone marrow suppression, abdominal pain, nausea, fever, severe diarrhoea, weight loss and an increased risk of infection.
• Using microwave or radiofrequency ablation may result in some minor discomfort and flu-like symptoms, such as chills and muscle pains. While the risk of associated complications is low, this treatment can also lead to issues like bleeding, infection, minor burns and damage to nearby organs.
• Techniques like SBRT may lead to side effects like fatigue, skin irritation and mild liver damage.

However, it’s important to note that these side effects won’t affect everyone, and the positive outcomes that liver treatments can offer far outweigh the risks involved.

Here at the Royal Free London PPU, our multi-disciplinary team are also experts in treating liver cancer so we will keep you informed on what to expect throughout your treatment. This includes outlining any potential risks, complications or side effects associated with your recommended procedure.