Risks and Symptoms of Liver Tumors

Scientists are not sure of the causes of primary liver cancer (cancer that originates in the liver) but there are some known risk factors.

They include:

• Excessive alcohol consumption
  
• Cirrhosis
  
• Viral hepatitis C and B
  
• Intake of anabolic steroids
  

Patients diagnosed with liver tumors sometimes feel a lump below their rib cage on the right side of the body or feel as if their liver is swollen. Patients may also experience pain near the right shoulder blade, discomfort in the upper right abdomen or jaundice (a condition where the skin turns yellow).

MIMIT physicians are skilled in providing several non-surgical treatments for patients with liver tumors, including chemoembolization and radiofrequency ablation.

What is Chemoembolization?

Chemoembolization is a non-surgical treatment that destoys the liver tumor, while preserving as much of the normal liver tissue as possible. During chemoembolization, chemotherapeutic agents are delivered directly to the tumor, as is iodized oil, which slows down artieral blood flow. As a result, the tumor is exposed to high concentrations of chemotherpautic agents for a prolonged period of time, and is deprived of oxygen-rich arterial blood flow, both of which impede the growth of the tumor. Once the chemoembolic agent delivery is complete, the artery is embolized further with a standard embolic agent such as gelatin sponge or polyvinyl alcohol particles.

What is Radiofrequency Ablation?

Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) is a non-surgical treatment option for people with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the most common form of liver cancer. RFA is also appropriate for some patients who are undergoing treatment for pain management while awating a liver transplant. Although the most common method for treating HCC is surgery, this may not be possible if the tumor is too big or if there are too many tumors in the liver. In this case, RFA can be a viable treatment option.

How RFA is Performed
RFA is performed under general anesthesia. Using ultrasound (an imaging modality that uses high-frequency sound waves), the doctor inserts a thin needle into the liver near the tumor or tumors. A generator sends radiofrequency waves through the needle, and these waves produce heat that kills the tumor cells.

What Can I Expect After the Procedure?
Typically patients stay in the hospital overnight for observation. Because the procedure will likely be performed in an outpatient setting under light sedation; you do not have to stay overnight. In the months following RFA, you will have CT scans to track the progress of the liver tumor's decrease in size.