Treatment Options for Metastatic Liver Cancer
According to Cancer Research UK, the treatment plan for metastatic liver cancer will ultimately depend on the initial type of cancer that you had. “The aim of treatment depends on where the cancer started and whether it has spread anywhere else. For some types of cancer that have spread to the liver, it may still be possible to cure your cancer. For other types of cancer, the aim may be to control your cancer and symptoms. This is called palliative treatment.”
That being said, there are a variety of options available, should you decide that treatment is necessary:
- Surgery – Surgery aims to remove all or a portion of the tumor. However, surgery is not possible for all patients; it can be a lengthy procedure, so if you are in bad health, you may not be a “surgical candidate.” Also, if you have lots of tumors, other options may be a better option.
- Chemotherapy – Chemotherapy is a medication or a combination of medication that attempts to kill cancer cells. There are a variety of options available, and your physicians will select the ones that best match your particular type of cancer cells. Keep in mind that chemotherapy medications have a laundry list of side effects, so depending on your goals (cure versus comfort) you may choose a different therapy.
- Biologic therapy – Biologic therapy may be indicated if it is helpful for your primary cancer. Biologic therapy prevents cancer cells from dividing and growing.
- Radiation – Radiation uses high energy waves to kill cancer cells, which prevents cancer from growing and controls cancer symptoms.
There are various other types of treatments that can also be used, but this is a summary of some of the more common treatments you may see to treat metastatic liver cancer.
Complications
You may have complications if tumors have spread to the large area of the liver. These may include blocked bile flow, pain, and liver failure.
Prognosis of Metastatic Liver Cancer
According to the American Cancer Society, unless your physician tells you otherwise, a survival rate is often listed as a 5-year survival rate. A 5-year survival rate is an estimate of a number of people who are still alive in five years, who have the same type of cancer and the same stage of cancer.
As scary as it can be to read these statistics, remember that these are generalizations –keep in mind that your 5-year survival rate could be different based on your specific cancer stage and other factors, such as your general health and other factors that are unique to you.
The National Cancer Institute’s Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database have also compiled survival rates based on summary stages:
- Localized – Cancer that has been confined to the liver and is typically stages I, II and sometimes stage III. The 5-year survival rate is about 31%.
- Regional – Cancer has spread to nearby organs and/pr lymph nodes, and is stages IIIC and IVA. The 5-year survival rate is about 11%.
- Distant – Cancer has spread to spread throughout the body and is stage IVB. The 5-year survival rate is 3%.
Although these numbers seem shockingly low, they are higher for people who have surgical resections, regardless of the stage of their cancer – this increases the 5-year survival rate to about 50 percent.
Individuals who obtain a liver transplant achieve a 5-year survival rate of 60 percent to 70 percent.
