When detecting malignant formation in liver tissues, oncologists select a treatment regimen for each patient only individually.
Unfortunately, the cancer of this organ is rarely diagnosed at the first stage of its development, therefore not all effective therapies can be applied.
An integrated approach to treatment makes it possible to achieve a stable remission, but the sooner a person turns to a medical institution, the more chances for recovery.
How does the disease go?
Liver cancer in the initial stages almost does not cause specific signs of the disease. You can pay attention only to the appearance of dyspeptic disorders in the form of excessive gas formation, nausea, bitterness in the mouth.
To the group of general symptoms of liver cancer carry all the signs that are typical for almost any cancer injury, it is:
- Weakness, lethargy.
- Decreased appetite.
- Increased body temperature.
- Weight reduction.
- Apathy.
The growth of a cancerous tumor in the liver disrupts the functions of this organ, which leads to the appearance of dyspeptic disorders. The pathological changes in the liver are indicated by the increase in this organ in size, the icterus of the skin and mucous membranes, and the itching of the body.
Persistent dyspepsia develops, manifested by flatulence, eructation, nausea, diarrhea, or constipation. In the second or fourth stage of the cancer there are pains, they worry almost constantly and do not decrease with the use of analgesics or antispasmodics.
In advanced cases, liver cancer manifests as ascites, that is, accumulation of fluid in the abdominal cavity, internal bleeding. The patient develops marked cachexia, the work of all vital organs - the heart, lungs, hematopoiesis system is disrupted.
Methods for treating liver cancer
In the first stage of liver cancer, it is easiest to treat, the patient is assigned a surgical operation, whose goal is to completely remove the cancerous focus.
In addition to removing a part of the liver or organ, the following is used:
- Radiation therapy.
- Chemotherapy.
- Method of ablation and embolization. These methods consist in introducing into the vessels or the tumor itself special substances that have a destructive effect.
In order to achieve complete destruction or removal of the tumor, two or three ways of treating cancer are used at once. This allows to achieve high effectiveness of anticancer therapy and significantly prolongs the patient's life.
Many more modern methods of fighting cancer have been developed and are still being developed, so there is every reason to believe that this disease will be defeated at the last stages of its development.
Before choosing a course of therapy, the oncologist evaluates:
- The size of the cancers.
- Number of nodes in the liver.
- Histological structure of the neoplasm.
- Localization in the liver of a tumor.
- Presence of metastases.
- Is there a lesion in the cancerous process of the portal vein.
Before choosing a treatment, it is necessary to establish concomitant diseases, cirrhosis of the liver, the extent of cancer spread across the organ. And only on the basis of all survey data is selected one of the most optimal ways to fight the disease in each specific case.
Operation
Surgical intervention for liver cancer involves two types of surgery, removal of the tumor itself or transplantation, that is, organ transplantation. Both these methods have their pros and cons, and there are many contraindications that do not allow the appointment of operations.
- Resection of the of the liver is the removal during the operation of that part of the organ in which there is an emerging tumor. The effectiveness of such a surgical intervention depends on the size of the tumor, its location, the spread of cancer to the major blood vessels. It is easier to resect the left lobe of the liver, with minimal tumors limited to segmentectomy.
- Transplantation of of the liver is effective only at the initial stages of malignant tumor formation. Complexity arises with the selection of the donor of this organ, often it takes a long time to wait for a suitable biomaterial and during this time the cancer from the initial stage goes into more complex forms. Modern surgery in some cases practices the transplantation of a part of the liver from a healthy blood relative. After transplantation, the patient is prescribed drugs with a depressant effect on the immune system, and their use can become a catalyst for the re-development of atypical cells.
Surgical intervention is not always possible and even if the tumor is detected in the first stage of its development.
An obstruction to surgery is:
- Close proximity of the neoplasm to the portal vein or the penetration of the tumor into its walls. With such a localization of the cancer, bleeding may develop.
- Metastases detected in a number of located organs and distant parts of the body.
- Cirrhosis. This disease is not a direct contraindication, but it significantly reduces the patient's chances of a full recovery. The operation is not performed and if most of the liver is prone to pathological changes, since this completely violates its function.
A successful operation is not yet a guarantee of a complete recovery of the patient with cancer of this organ. After surgery, the risk of recurrence of the disease remains, since cancer cells can be preserved in healthy tissues and begin to develop gradually after a few months.
Radiotherapy
Radiation therapy implies the use of high-energy X-ray irradiation for the treatment of cancer.
A similar treatment for cancer patients has different options:
- Exterior radiation is a traditional option. Radiation departs from the apparatus placed at some distance from the body of the patient. The irradiating ray is directed directly to the site of tumor localization, one session takes several minutes. The main danger of this method for the patient is the simultaneous irradiation of a number of healthy cells located in the liver.
- 3D-KLT - three-dimensional conformal radiation therapy. In this method of irradiation, the localization of the tumor is determined by means of a computer program, which allows the beam of X-rays to be directed strictly to the neoplasm. Irradiation is carried out at three different angles, which ensures high efficiency of the procedure.
- STLT - stereotaxic radiation therapy. This method consists in using a radiation beam with the highest power. Several focused rays simultaneously lead to a neoplasm immediately from several sides. During the session, the patient is placed in a special frame, which is necessary to more accurately guide the radiation to the tumor.
- Radioembolization. This is one of the newest methods of treatment - the patient's hepatic artery is administered radioactive particles, they are localized next to a malignant tumor. Radiation emitted by radioactive elements has a harmful effect on cancer cells.
Chemotherapy
The essence of chemotherapy for liver cancer is the introduction into the patient's body of drugs that have a devastating effect on cancer cells.
Systemic chemotherapy consists in the administration of drugs through a vein or in the form of tablets through the mouth. The main components of chemotherapy are spread by blood throughout the body and perform their work.
But this feature of chemotherapy also affects the development of many side effects, since drugs destroy not only cancer cells, but also affect healthy ones. Systemic chemotherapy is used if, in addition to the main focus, there are already metastases in other organs.
Liver cancer can not be easily eliminated with the help of injections through the mouth or vein, so another method of administering drugs is used today - directly into the hepatic artery.
Infusion drugs in this way is called IPA, the drug components in this method fall into all parts of the liver, and in other organs almost do not fall. IPA reduces the severity of side effects and increases the destruction of a cancerous tumor. Directly in the hepatic artery are introduced such drugs as Cisplatinum, Mitomycin C, Floxuridine, Doxorubicin.
Bypass variants of
Not all patients with liver cancer may undergo chemotherapy or surgery. In the case of absolute contraindications to these methods of treatment, alternative or detrimental ways of combating cancer are selected.
Ablation can be performed by cryodestruction, high-energy radio waves, heat. The procedure is carried out under the control of the ultrasound apparatus, the method is organ-preserving and thus there is no disruption of the functioning of the liver.
Dietary food
Patients with liver cancer should be explained by the attending physician and the importance of proper nutrition.
First of all, food should be vitaminized, easily digestible and it should reduce the consequences of cancer intoxication and chemotherapy.
Necessarily on a table daily there should be vegetable and lactic acid products, it is recommended to eat fat kinds of fish, porridges, to drink compotes, decoctions of grasses and a dogrose.
Refuse should be from smoked foods, pickled and too salty foods, soda, alcohol.
Fractional meals in small portions reduces the load on digestion and is the prevention of dyspeptic disorders.
Can liver cancer be cured?
Approximately 75% of cases of treatment in the early stages of liver cancer provide a five-year survival. That is, a malignant lesion of the liver can be won, but it is necessary to put this diagnosis on time.
Much in the recovery depends on the patient's age, the presence of concomitant diseases, the mood for treatment. Resection of one lobe of the liver in the case of the absence of cancer cells in another lobe gives a high chance of complete disposal of the disease.
Video about liver transplantation: