Liver tumor treatment, liver tumor treatment methods

Liver tumor refers to a tumor that occurs in the liver. The liver is one of the most common sites for tumors because the liver is one of the places where the human body detoxifies. Liver tumors are very harmful to the human body, and liver tumors are more common in malignant tumors, and benign tumors are rare, so liver tumors should be treated as soon as possible.

1: Surgical removal of liver tumors is traditionally the most effective method for treating liver tumors. However, not all liver tumor patients are suitable for surgical treatment. To effectively use surgical methods to treat liver tumors depends on two factors: one is the patient's liver function. The other is the location, number and size of the liver tumors. Because the liver has the ability to regenerate, if a part of the liver is removed, the remaining liver will grow back. For patients with good liver function, 70% of the liver can be removed, and the remaining 30% of the liver function is sufficient to supply the body's needs, and it will quickly grow back to its original size. However, patients with poor liver function have poor liver regeneration ability and can withstand a smaller range of liver resection. The location, number and size of liver tumors determine the range of liver resection required for liver surgery. So these two factors determine whether a patient is suitable for surgical treatment.

1: Percutaneous transhepatic arterial embolization. Abbreviated as TAE. Its principle is to use the fact that liver tumors are mainly supplied by the hepatic artery, and only one-quarter of the liver's blood flow is supplied by the hepatic artery, and three-quarters are supplied by the portal vein. Therefore, the hepatic artery is blocked with an absorbable embolic material. The liver tumor cells die of hypoxia due to lack of blood supply. The liver will only suffer from liver function damage due to the loss of one-quarter of the blood flow supplied by the hepatic artery, causing partial liver cell necrosis. However, because the embolic material used will be slowly absorbed, the hepatic artery will be restored to a smooth state, and the liver's liver function will gradually recover. Although TAE is mostly a symptomatic treatment for liver tumors, it is very helpful in prolonging the patient's life and improving the quality of life.

1: The principle of cryosurgery is to use extremely cold temperatures to destroy cancer cells. It is currently used in the treatment of liver tumors and prostate cancer. During cryosurgery, the doctor cuts open the abdomen and inserts a probe into the tumor tissue in the liver and prostate. The probe with liquid nitrogen flowing through it is inserted into the tumor site in the liver. Because the liquid nitrogen is constantly flowing in the probe, the probe temperature reaches minus 196 degrees Celsius. Therefore, the tumor tissue it touches is frozen and destroyed. Ultrasound technology is required to locate and assist in the operation.

1: Percutaneous puncture intratumoral alcohol injection. Abbreviated as PEIT. It uses the direct toxicity of alcohol to cells. When alcohol is diffused into cells, non-selective protein denaturation and cell dehydration will occur, resulting in coagulative necrosis. Subsequent fibrosis and blockage of small blood vessels will also cause secondary cell death. Therefore, percutaneous intratumoral alcohol injection is a local treatment and is useless for distant lesions. According to the current consensus on indications, there is no absolute limit to the size of the tumor, but the larger the tumor, the worse the alcohol penetration. Metastatic tumors, regardless of size, are harder than liver tumors, and alcohol penetration is relatively poor. Therefore, multiple puncture injections are often required. Therefore, current experience still focuses on tumors smaller than three centimeters, and the number should preferably be less than three or four.

1: This technology is guided by ultrasound and the probe is directly inserted into the tumor. The puncture needle can be inserted into the tumor and then extend radially to expand the heating area after the energy is introduced, so that it can treat larger lesions. Then the energy of the wireless frequency is used to heat the local area, causing cell coagulation and necrosis to achieve the purpose of treatment. Since it can burn a tumor of three to five centimeters in size at a time, the number of treatments can be reduced. It is suitable for patients with tumors less than three centimeters who are not suitable for surgery. According to clinical experience, the treatment effect is not worse than alcohol injection, and sometimes even better, and its treatment range is larger. However, because the treatment needle is thicker and the probe is left in the liver for a longer time, the complications of treatment are slightly higher than those of alcohol injection treatment. In addition, the treatment cost is much higher than that of alcohol injection treatment. However, this method is not suitable for tumors that are too close to the liver surface or the bile duct branches in the liver portal area.

1: Radiotherapy for liver tumors is a treatment method that has gradually received attention in recent years. In the early days, due to the limitations of treatment equipment and treatment technology, oncologists did not dare to perform radiotherapy on patients with liver tumors, fearing that it would burden the patient's normal liver or cause liver failure. Therefore, radiotherapy was not a major treatment method for liver tumors. In recent years, due to the advancement of computer and electronic control technology, the treatment equipment and technology have made great progress. Three-dimensional conformal therapy (photon knife) is currently the most important method used in the treatment of liver tumors.

However, not every type is suitable for all patients. Everyone's physical constitution is different, and the specific treatment method can only be determined after a detailed examination.