Therapy of Hepatocellular Carcinoma
Therapy of HCC depend on the size and location of the tumor, how well the liver is functioning, and the overall health of the patient.
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Treatments for HCC include:
- Surgery. Surgery to remove the cancer and a margin of surrounding healthy tissue is an option for patients with early-stage HCC who have normal liver function.
- Liver transplantation. Removal of the liver containing HCC and replacing it with a liver from a donor is an option in healthy patients whose HCC has not spread beyond the liver.
- Destruction of HCC with extreme heat or cold. Procedures to kill the cancer cells in the liver using extreme heat or cold may be recommended for patients for whom surgery is not appropriate. These treatments include radiofrequency ablation, cryoablation, and ablation using alcohol or microwaves.
- Chemotherapy or radiation delivery directly to the cancer. A catheter is first passed through the patient’s blood vessels into the liver. Chemotherapy drugs (chemoembolization) or tiny glass spheres containing radiation (radioembolization) are then directly delivered to the cancer cells.
- Radiation therapy. Radiation therapy uses energy from X-rays or protons may be used if surgery is not an option. Stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) consists of focusing many beams of radiation therapy simultaneously on HCC.
- Targeted drug therapy. Targeted drugs may help slow the progression of the disease in patients with advanced HCC. Sorafenib (Nexavar®) and lenvatinib (Lenvima®) are indicated for first line treatment of HCC, i.e. for patients who have not yet received any systemic treatment for HCC. Regorafenib (Stivarga®) is indicated for second line treatment of HCC, i.e. for patients whose HCC has progressed while receiving either sorafenib or lenvatinib.
- Cancer immunotherapy. Cancer immunotherapy is a treatment that stimulates or restores the ability of the patient’s immune system to fight cancer. Several agents are currently used either alone or in combination to treat HCC.
- TheraBionic P1: The TheraBionic P1 delivers low levels radiofrequency electromagnetic fields (radiowaves), which selectively block the growth of HCC cells and do not affect normal cells. This treatment is indicated for patients whose advanced HCC has progressed while receiving first line and second line therapies. It also is indicated for patients who do not tolerate first line and second line therapies for advanced HCC.
- Clinical trials. Clinical trials give patients a chance to try new liver cancer treatments. This is how the safety and effectiveness of new treatments are evaluated and new treatments are developed. It always is advisable to ask your physician whether you are eligible to participate in a clinical trial.
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