The Nebraska Medical Center offers patients the full realm of treatment options
to provide the most positive outcomes for patients with both primary and metastatic
liver cancer. Resection and liver transplantation, when possible, provide the most
favorable outcomes for primary liver cancer patients. In the past, patients with
liver cancer were not eligible for liver transplantation, but today, new treatments
to control and shrink the tumor have allowed some of these patients to become candidates.
What makes liver cancer particularly difficult to treat is the fact that many patients
don't discover they have the disease until they are in more advanced stages of the
disease.
Resection
If the tumor has not spread outside the liver and it is localized, surgery may be
recommended and is referred to as surgical resection. The liver is unique in that
it can regenerate damaged or resected tissue as long as there is not cirrhosis or
hepatitis present. In some cases, up to 75 percent of the part of the liver affected
by cancer can be completely removed. Today, the five-year survival rate after resection
often exceeds 50 percent. After resection, tumor recurrence rate exceeds 70 percent
at five years. The strongest predictors of recurrence are the presence of involvement
of the small blood vessels and/or additional tumor sites besides the primary lesion.
Surgical resection may also be an option in cases of localized unresectable cancer.
Individuals who are not candidates for surgical resection include those with cirrhosis
of the liver or those with only a small portion of small healthy tissue.
Laparoscopic Surgery
Laparoscopic liver resection is a minimally invasive technique to remove diseased
parts of the liver. When possible, laparoscopic surgery is the procedure of choice
over open surgery because it is so much less demanding on the patient. A traditional
liver resection can be a complicated operation because there is so much blood flowing
through the liver and it requires a very large incision. Laparoscopic surgery is
usually an outpatient procedure, and compared to traditional surgery, results in
less pain and discomfort following surgery, shorter recuperation time and a quicker
return to normal activities.
Liver transplantation
The Nebraska Medical Center is home to one of the most active and prominent
liver transplant centers in the world. Established in 1985, the liver transplant
program consistently achieves better outcomes than the national average and performs
more successful high-risk liver transplants than almost any other program in the
nation. This procedure involves removing and replacing a diseased liver with a healthy,
donated organ.
Meet The Nebraska Medical Center Liver Transplant Team.
Who is a candidate?
Liver transplantation is normally an option for people with small, early-stage liver
tumor or for certain cases that involve bile duct tumors. In the past, individuals
with cancer were not eligible for transplantation. However, new treatment options
that can reduce the size of the tumor, have helped increase the eligibility of many
patients. Eligibility is based on the number of tumor nodules, the size of the tumors,
how much the tumor has spread, the age and overall health of the patient.
For Physician Referrals or more information on liver cancer and liver transplant
call 1-800-922-0000