Liver cancer is a very serious disease, but it’s also one of the most treatable kinds. Treatment can make your liver healthier and extend your life.
Learn about the treatment options that are available for you, including chemotherapy, surgery, and other types of treatments that can shrink tumors or stop them from growing. Talk to your healthcare provider about which of these methods is right for you, and what the side effects of each might be.
Early detection is important in helping to diagnose and manage liver cancer. This includes regular blood tests that can detect signs of liver cancer, as well as imaging tests such as ultrasound, CT and MRI scans.
If you have a risk factor, such as diabetes, high cholesterol or a family history of cancer, your doctor may recommend more frequent screenings. In some cases, your doctor might suggest a genetic test to see if you have a gene that increases your chance of getting liver cancer.
Your doctor can also recommend blood tests to see if your immune system is normal or weak. This can help identify people with a higher risk of liver cancer, which will allow doctors to target those patients for treatment.
Immunotherapy is another treatment that can shrink liver tumors and reduce their size, and it might also slow the growth of new ones. Depending on the type of liver cancer, your doctor might recommend immunotherapy along with other therapies, such as radiation or chemotherapy.
Other treatment modalities that can destroy cancer cells include radiofrequency ablation (RFA) and microwave therapy, which use heat to kill cancer cells. These techniques are often used to treat liver tumors that cannot be removed with surgery or laparoscopy. They can be performed in a surgical procedure or by an interventional radiologist at Johns Hopkins.
Chemotherapy is a powerful anticancer drug that can be given directly into the liver or through a vein to attack cancer cells. It can be combined with other drugs to treat a large tumor or with a drug that targets a particular cancer cell protein or enzyme. It can also be given to other parts of the body, such as the bone marrow or the colon.
It is important to remember that these drugs can also damage healthy cells, so it is crucial to take any medications you need in moderation. Your doctor will work with you to find a balance between the amount of chemotherapy you need and how much it will harm your body.
You’ll also need to eat and drink properly, to get enough calories to stay strong during treatment. It’s a good idea to have a doctor check your food and water intake while you’re undergoing treatment to make sure it’s not too low or too high.
Try to exercise regularly, especially if you’re having problems eating. This will keep your energy levels up and help you feel better, and it can give your liver a break from the stress of treatment.
