Surgery

What are different treatment options available for treating liver cancer?

These are some of the treatments available:
- Surgery,
- Immunotherapy,
- Photodynamic Therapy,
- Hyperthermia,
- Radiation Therapy
- Radiosurgery
The best option for curing liver cancer is surgery.

Other techniques used to treat liver cancer are:
- Including inserting needles into the tumor.
- Destroying the tumor (ablation).
- Injecting a substance into the tumor to deprive it of the blood supply it needs (embolization).
- Chemotherapy
- Radiation therapy

The best treatment for the liver cancer is based on:
- Age, overall health, and medical history.
- Extent of the disease.
- Stage of the cancer.
- Your tolerance of specific medicines, procedures, or therapies.
- Expectations for the course of the disease.
- Your opinion or preference.

Surgery
- Surgery is the only way to cure liver cancer.
- The most common type of surgery for liver cancer is resection (removal of the cancer).
- The presence of cirrhosis of the liver makes surgical resection less successful.
- It may require the entire liver to be removed and replaced with a donated liver (liver transplant).
- Surgery depends on whether the part of your liver that is not affected by the cancer is healthy.
- When part of your liver is removed, enough healthy liver tissue left is to be taken care of, to carry out all of the critical jobs of the liver.

Ablation
- Ablation destroys the tumor without removing it.
- It is a good option for patients with small liver tumors.
- This process uses high-energy radio waves, alcohol injections and very cold metal probes to destroy the tumor.

Embolization
- Tumors need the oxygen supplied by blood to grow.
- Embolization stops blood from flowing to the tumor.
- Embolization can be done by injecting substances that plug the artery.
- This is sometimes combined with chemotherapy (chemoembolization) or radiation therapy (radioembolization).

Chemotherapy
- Chemotherapy drugs kill cancerous cells.
- It works by stopping cancer cells from growing or reproducing, which kills the cells.
- Chemotherapy may be taken by mouth in pill form or injected into a vein or muscle.
- Sometimes it is injected into a hepatic artery through a thin tube (catheter).
- This process is known as chemoembolization.

Radiation Therapy
- Radiation therapy uses high-energy radiation to kill cancer cells and shrink tumors.
- Radiation therapy for liver cancer is usually delivered internally.
- It is done by inserting a radioactive substance into the body.

Targeted Therapy
- Targeted therapy blocks the steps involved in the growth and proliferation of cancer cells.
- Targeted therapy drug may be taken by mouth or in a pill form.
- The main targeted therapy for liver cancer is a drug called Nexavar (sorafenib tosylate).

Hepatocellular Carcinoma
- Partial hepatectomy to resect the entire tumor.
- Liver transplantation.
- Cryoablation.
- Chemoembolization.
- Radiotherapy.
- Sorafenib.
- Radiofrequency ablation.
- Radiofrequency ablation combined with local chemotherapy.

Cholangiocarcinoma
- Photodynamic therapy.
- Brachytherapy.
- Radiotherapy.
- Liver transplantation.

Hepatoblastoma
- Chemotherapy, including vincristine, cyclophosphamide, and doxorubicin.
- Radiotherapy.
- Liver transplantation.
- Surgical resection.

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What are different methods for the treatment of colorectal cancer?

An abnormal growth in the organ called the colon, vermiform appendix and rectum gives rise to a cancer called the colorectal cancer. Another name given to colorectal cancer is bowel cancer. Colorectal cancer is commonly symbolized by symptoms like stool passing out with blood, rectal bleeding, haemorrhoids, pale skin, fatigue, abdominal pain, distension of the abdomen, weight loss, nausea, narrow stools and rectal pain.

There are many treatments which can be undergone in order to prevent or cure colorectal cancer. Following are some ways in which colorectal cancer can be treated:

- Surgery
The most common treatment used for curing colorectal cancer is through surgery. Surgery can be of either type: palliative (for reducing the morbidity of the tumour), curative (effective for tumours which are localized), and fecal diversion, open and close or bypass. Although surgery is the most common type of treatment but it can result in some complications also. These complications may include obstruction in bowel caused by adhesions, wound infection, anastomosis breakdown, injury to the adjacent organ, cardio-respiratory complications and many more.

- Chemotherapy
It is a treatment preferred by patients who have undergone the surgery. Chemotherapy is a survival treatment for patients whose cancer has reached a higher stage. This treatment is mainly carried out in stages. After the treatment is done, the patient undergoes a recovery period and then again the treatment is carried on. This is repeated until the patient is relieved from the cancer. Side effects of chemotherapy include hair loss, infections, vomiting, nausea, etc.

- Combination regimens
After chemotherapy, if the patient still continues to suffer from the cancer then the patient is treated with combination regimens. This is only carried out if the patient has enough strength to undergo further treatments. These treatments are also called the second line chemotherapy regimen treatments. When the first line chemotherapy treatment does no show much result on the patient then the second line treatment called Panitumumab is given to the patient. This treatment is given mostly in the extreme stages of the colorectal cancer.

- Radiation therapy
It can also be used for the treatment of the colorectal cancer. The cancerous cells are exposed to high energy radiations and as a result they are killed by these radiations. Radiation therapy is mostly given after the surgery i.e. in conjunction with the surgery. It is mostly effective in curing the pain, blockage and bleeding caused due to the colorectal cancer. There are various types of radiation therapies which are given to the cancer patient. These radiation therapies include External Beam Therapy (EBT), and Brachy therapy.

- Other Surgeries
There are many other surgeries available for the treatment of colorectal cancer. These surgeries include Laparoscopic surgery which is also known as the keyhole surgery. In this surgery a camera is inserted into the abdomen to see the inner part of the abdomen. The surgeon then analysis the problem and works on its treatment. Partial colectomy is another surgery which can be performed on the colorectal cancer patient. In this surgery a healthy colon is connected in place of the diseased colon. This surgery is also called the partial bowel resection.

- Other Treatments
Other treatments which are not very commonly used to cure the colorectal cancer are the cancer vaccine, the immunotherapy, support therapies, treatment of the liver metastases and palliative care.

Colorectal cancer is a cancer which stands on the third number in the list of cancers. It is very dangerous if not treated in proper time and can also cause a threat to life. Mostly people with a hereditary problem of colorectal cancer, and older age are more likely to develop the colorectal cancer.