Best Treatment for Inoperable Liver Cancer
Reported April 6, 2005
NEW ORLEANS (Ivanhoe Newswire) — New research shows chemoembolization should be the first treatment offered to people diagnosed with inoperable liver cancer. Why? Its safe, and its already been shown to significantly increase survival.
Jeff Geschwind, M.D., from Johns Hopkins University, presented research at the 30th Annual Scientific Meeting of the Society of Interventional Radiology in New Orleans.
Two-thirds of liver cancer patients have inoperable tumors. Chemoembolization uses high doses of chemotherapy to kill the tumor while decreasing blood flow through the arteries that feed the tumor. Reducing blood flow to the tumor causes the chemotherapy to remain in the tumor, and it does not cause harm to healthy tissues. This allows higher doses of chemotherapy to be used.
Dr. Geschwind says, Chemoembolization should be the standard, first-line treatment for inoperable liver tumors. Patients have minimal toxicity, and its already proven to substantially increase survival. The treatment can be repeated if needed to keep cancer growth contained or to prevent progression. It extends life in the majority of cases.
In another study on the same topic, Dr. Geschwind and colleagues from Johns Hopkins studied 31 patients who underwent one or more chemoembolization treatments. These were patients who had portal vein thrombosis. The portal vein is vital in that it is the major blood source for the liver. Due to the already compromised blood supply to the liver, portal vein thrombosis has been considered a roadblock for using chemoembolization to treat inoperable liver cancer. Doctors have feared that affecting the livers blood supply even further could cause patients to have premature liver failure.
Results of this study show half of the patients had poor initial liver reserve before the chemoembolization and had an average survival of five months. The other half had an average survival of 12 months. In comparison studies, Dr. Geschwind says patients with portal vein thrombosis who receive no treatment have a survival of 3.7 months. Those who receive systemic chemotherapy survive an average of 5.1 months.
Dr. Geschwind says, for people who have adequate liver reserve, chemoembolization offers a survival advantage despite the presence of portal vein thrombosis. He says, The study shows that chemoembolization is a safe treatment, even in high-risk patients.
SOURCE: Stacie Overton at the 30th Annual Meeting of the Society of Interventional Radiology in New Orleans, March 31-April 4, 2005