UPMC Liver Cancer Center

Liver Cancer Treatments

The UPMC Liver Cancer Center prides itself on its willingness to research and use innovative treatment
strategies for its patients. We start with information management, and help our patients as they seek answers
to questions about their disease. It is important that we assist them find and deal with appropriate information according to their needs.

Surgical Resection Treatment for Liver Cancer

Resection simply means the total or partial removal of an organ. For people diagnosed with liver cancer, liver resection offers the best chance for cure or long-term survival. Removal of a tumor is the surest method of eradicating the cancer and preventing its spread to other parts of the body. The liver's remarkable regenerative ability allows it to continue functioning even when parts of it are removed.

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Radio-Frequency Ablation (RFA) of Liver Tumors

Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) is an exciting new approach to destroying inoperable primary or metastatic tumors in the liver. A probe is inserted through the liver tissue with ultrasound guidance into the tumor and delivers alternating current (radiofrequency energy).

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Intrahepatic Chemotherapy - Chemoembolization treament for Liver Cancer

Chemoembolization is the process of injecting chemotherapy drugs into the artery that supplies blood to the tumor in the liver. The artery is then embolized (blocked off) with a mixture of oil and tiny particles, which has the added benefit of depriving the tumor of its blood supply.

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Yttrium-90 Internal Radiation Treatment for Liver Cancer

Yttrium-90 is a therapeutic device that delivers radiation directly to tumors in the liver using tiny beads. The tiny beads (or intrahepatic microspheres) measure one third the diameter of a human hair, and are embedded with a radioactive element called yttrium90.

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Intrahepatic Pump Therapy for Metastatic Colon-Rectal Cancer

Hepatic metastases from colorectal cancer can be treated by administering the chemotherapy directly into the liver. This allows a much higher concentration of the chemotherapy where it is needed, i.e. on the tumor itself, with a decrease in the systemic side effects of the chemotherapy.

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Cyberknife X-ray Treatment of Primary or Metastatic Liver Cancers

CyberKnife treatment is a form of radiation therapy that consists of a precise radiosurgical delivery system that administers high energy x-rays, usually in one or two sessions, to tumors located within the body.

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Liver Transplant Services

Liver transplantation for cancer is usually performed for patients with cirrhosis that have also been diagnosed with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). HCC is also known as hepatoma, or primary liver cancer. For early stage HCC, patients can often be cured by a liver transplant.

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Multi-Modality Approach for Treating Liver Cancer

At the UPMC Liver Cancer Center, our philosophy is to often utilize a multi-modality approach for the treatment of liver cancer. This means that we may use more than one form of therapy to treat a liver tumor.

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Palliative Care for liver cancer treatment options

In addition to providing state-of-the-art cancer treatments, the Liver Cancer Center also provides an array of complementary strategies to address the burdens associated with the diagnosis and treatment of cancer.

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