The presence of liver cancer is confirmed with a biopsy. The doctor may also look at the liver with an instrument called a laparoscope, which is a small tube-shaped instrument with a light on one end. For this procedure, a small cut is made in the abdomen so that the laparoscope can be inserted. The doctor may take a small piece of tissue during the laparoscopy. A pathologist then examines the tissue under the microscope to see if cancer cells are present.
Liver cancer is difficult to control unless the cancer is found when it is very small.
However, treatment can relieve symptoms and improve the patient's quality of life. Participation in treatment studies is an option for many patients with liver cancer. In some studies, all patients receive the new treatment. In others, doctors compare different therapies by giving the new treatment to one group of patients and standard therapy to another group. In this way, doctors can compare different therapies.