But more frequently, a cancer from elsewhere in the body spreads to the liver. This may be from the colon or pancreas, for example, and is known as a metastasis, or secondary cancer. The best hope of a cure from liver cancer is through surgical removal of the complete tumor. Chemotherapy may be attempted to kill the cancer cells, but this treatment is often not very effective for liver tumors. Some physicians are now using a technique called chemoembolization as a treatment for liver tumors.
Doctors insert a catheter into a blood vessel and feed it up to the hepatic artery in the liver.
Once catheter has reached its destination, doctors inject a concentration of three chemotherapeutic agents combined with oil and a gel-foam. The gel-foam blocks off the artery and ensures that the drugs stay within the liver for an extended period, exposing the tumor cells to a high concentration of chemotherapy agents. In addition, the blockage also deprives the tumor of its blood supply. The side effects of this procedure are minimal when compared to traditional chemotherapy for liver cancer, said Dr. Gerndt. People do have some mild pain, but there are usually no side effects such as hair loss, diarrhea and skin ulcers.