Early detection and tumor removal improve liver cancer life expectancy. Other factors include cancer type, site of origin, metastasis, patient health, tumor size, and liver infection. Treatment options include chemotherapy, embolization, and transplant. Advanced cases focus on symptom relief. Early treatment within the first year of diagnosis improves chances. Older people and men are more prone to liver cancer.
Liver cancer life expectancy improves if the disease is caught early and the tumor can be removed. Other factors affecting life expectancy include the exact type of cancer the patient has, the site where the disease originated, the level of metastasis, and the patient’s overall health. The size of the tumor and the amount of infected liver also play a role. Most liver cancers are fatal, but a small number of patients could be cured if the cancer is caught early and hasn’t spread to other organs.
If the cancer is localized and represents a certain type of tumor, there is a small chance it can be removed and not come back. In such cases, there must be no signs of invasion into the blood vessels. However, liver cancer commonly spreads to lymph nodes or other organs before it is discovered.
Other types of liver cancer that are spreading may require a transplant. This usually occurs when a tumor is in an area that makes it difficult to remove without causing further harm to the patient. It also applies to cases where there is more than one type of cancer or where the general condition of the liver appears poor. When a healthy donor liver is transplanted into the patient, the five-year survival rate is approximately 60%.
Researchers report some success in extending the life expectancy of liver cancer using more than one form of treatment. Chemotherapy and embolization, which means starving the tumor by cutting off blood flow, could give the patient a longer life. If the cancer has spread to other areas of the body, whole-system chemotherapy is generally preferred.
When the disease is confined to the liver, treatment involves chemotherapy to the organ, with or without radiation therapy. Medical professionals usually administer a combination of drugs, chemotherapy, and embolization to attack liver cancer. Their goal is to shrink the tumor, remove it and starve it by restricting the blood supply.
If the disease is advanced, life expectancy is reduced. The normal course of treatment in these cases involves treating the symptoms to make the patient more comfortable. The drugs generally don’t prolong life, but they do ease the pain associated with advanced liver cancer.
Sometimes, it takes years for cancer elsewhere in the body to spread to the liver. Patients who receive treatment within the first year of diagnosis improve their chances. Older people are more prone to developing liver cancer, and more men than women get it.
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