Liver Transplant and GI Surgeon
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Liver cancer, as can be understood from the name, is a type of cancer that begins in the liver cells. Liver cancer’s most common form starts in the cells of the liver known as hepatocytes and is referred to as hepatocellular carcinoma. Primary liver cancer is caused due to prevalence of hepatitis caused by virsus causing chronic hepatitis. Primary liver cancer is commonly caused by chronic infection with diseases like hepatitis B & C, alcohol abuse, cirrhosis, and a hereditary disease known as hemochromatosis that is associated with a high amount of iron in the liver. Statistics reveal that more than half of the individuals affected with liver cancer have cirrhosis. Most of the patient can be incidentally detected to have liver disease, i.e. they don’t have any symptoms. Others can have vague symptoms like fever, fatigue, chills, and night sweats. Patients with advanced disease can have symptoms like pain and swelling of abdomen, weight loss, jaundice, itching, swelling of the feet, and loss of appetite.
Four main types of liver cancer are discussed below
Ablation (Microwave ablation/ radiofrequency ablation): The treatment procedure makes use of heat or ethanol injections to destroy the cells of cancer. Ablation happens to be a suitable treatment option for liver cancer when the affected individuals are not suitable candidates for a liver transplant or surgery.
Embolization and Chemoembolization: These are the procedures used for treating liver cancer. The procedure is performed to block off the hepatic artery which reduces the flow of blood into the tumor by using small particles and chemotherapy drugs are delivered along with the blocking particles. It is to make sure that the injected chemotherapy drugs stay in the liver for a longer time.
Hepatectomy: It is a surgical procedure performed to remove a portion of the affected liver with cancer or all the liver. The surgery is only done when the cancer is limited to the liver and has not spread to other parts. After the surgery, healthy tissues will regrow over time.
Liver Transplant: The procedure involves the complete replacement of an diseased complete liver and is replaced by a healthy liver from the donor. A liver transplant is only performed when the cancer is limited to the liver and has not spread to other parts or organs.
Radiation Therapy: The therapy uses radiation beams of high energy to destroy the cancer cells. The high-energy radiation can be delivered by either internal radiation or external beam radiation.
Targeted Therapy: The procedure uses medications that target the cancer cells. These medications help reduce the growth of the tumor and cut down the supply of blood to the tumor. Targeted therapy is performed on affected individuals which are not suitable for a liver transplant or hepatectomy.
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