Surgery is the only way to cure liver cancer. Surgery can only be performed if the cancer has not spread very far, and if the liver tissue is healthy. The side effects of surgery depend on the extent of the operation, the patient s general health, and other factors. Pain for the first few days after surgery is to be expected, but it can be controlled with medicine. People should feel free to discuss pain relief with the doctor or nurse.
Ablation is local therapy that treats a tumor without removing it.
Doctors can cut off the blood supply to the cancer by blocking certain arteries, but this, like surgical removal of the tumor, is often impossible if the patient s liver tissue is not healthy. Chemotherapy is the use of anti-cancer drugs to destroy tumors. Chemotherapy is usually injected intravenously or taken orally. This is an example of systemic therapy, or treatment that travels through the blood stream and affects all parts of the body. Because it affects the whole body, it is useful for treating metastasized cancers of the liver.