The American Cancer Society estimates 15,300 new cases of liver cancer will be diagnosed in the U.S. this year and 13,800 Americans will die from it. Infection with hepatitis B and hepatitis C also increases the risk of liver cancer.
Surgery is the only cure for liver cancer.
But only 30 percent of patients can successfully have all the cancer removed. That s because liver cancer doesn t cause any symptoms until the disease has spread. External radiation often has no effect on liver cancer and is rarely used as a treatment. There, the beads emit continual doses of radiation to the tumor. The approval allows patients, who otherwise would have no hope, to get a promising treatment.