Introduction Over the last decade, medical and surgical fields have made real progress in developing treatments that can help patients live with a high quality of life for many years after they have cancer. The type of treatment recommended for liver cancer depends on how advanced the cancer is, the type of liver cancer and other factors such as age and general health. If the cancer has spread beyond the liver, surgical cure is not possible. Many patients with liver cancer also have underling liver diseases, such as cirrhosis which makes treating the cancer more complicated. There is a lot to think about when choosing the best way to treat or manage your cancer as there may be more than one treatment to choose from.
Operative success depends on patient selection and surgical expertise.
Surgery may be used to take out the cancer and part of the liver where the cancer is found. Sometimes the entire liver may be removed and replaced by a liver transplant. In cases where cancer has spread to other parts of the body, e.g., to tissues surrounding the liver, the lungs or the brain, surgery may also be used. Operating on the liver can be difficult because of its proximity to major blood vessels. Removing the entire tumour is the only way to cure liver cancer.