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Your treatment choices for liver cancer depend on the size and location of the tumor. Your choices also depend on the results of lab tests and the type and stage of the cancer. Your doctor will also consider your age and general health when recommending a treatment.
It’s normal to want to learn everything you can about your disease and your treatment options. You’ll want to take an active part in making decisions about your medical care. You are likely to have many questions and concerns about your treatment options. You’ll probably want to know how you will function after treatment. You may also wonder whether you will have to change your normal activities. Your doctor is the best person to answer questions about your treatment options. He or she can tell you how well they might work and what the risks and side effects may be.
Treatment for liver cancer is either local or systemic. Local treatments remove, destroy, or control cancer cells in one area. Surgery and radiation are local treatments. Systemic treatments destroy or control cancer cells all through the body. In many cases, chemotherapy is a systemic treatment. Most treatments of liver cancer are systemic. You may have just one treatment or a combination of treatments.
These are the 3 main systemic treatments used for liver cancer, listed from the most to the least commonly used.
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Surgery
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Chemotherapy