Liver cancer (hepatocellular carcinoma)You are looking for a specialist for liver cancer or a special clinic in Germany, Austria or Switzerland? Find experienced specialists, clinics& with our doctor and clinic search for medical experts Centers for the diagnosis and treatment of liver tumors.
List of doctors for liver cancer
Prof. Dr. med. Daniel M. Aebersold
radiation therapy& Radiooncology Bern
Prof. Dr. med. Dr. habil. Thomas Carus FACS
CyberKnife Center Central Germany
radiosurgery& Precision radiotherapy Erfurt
Prof. Dr. med. Samer Ezziddin
Prof. Dr. med. Martin Fruh
Oncology St. Gall
Prof. Dr. rer. physiol. Dr. med. John T. Heverhagen
IOZK – Immune Oncology Center Cologne
Prof. Dr. med. Tobias Keck
Univ.-Prof. Dr. med. Andreas Rink
Minimally invasive oncological surgery Essen
PD Dr. med. Matthias C. Rothke
Univ.-Prof. Dr. Dr. med. Thomas J. Vogl
Information on liver cancer
Definition: What is liver cancer?
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), which is the most common form of malignant neoplasm of the liver. This form of liver cancer is one of the more frequent tumor diseases with 6% in men and 3% in women.
In hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC, liver cell cancer), mutations occur directly in the liver's own cells, causing cells to grow unchecked and uncontrolled. Risk diseases that are frequently associated with this form of cancer include hepatitis B, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and hepatitis C, liver cirrhosis (shrinking liver) or hemochromatosis (iron storage disease).
The liver is the central metabolic organ of the human body. A loss of function of this organ is not compatible with life.
Liver cancer symptoms
The signs of liver tumors are very unspecific. Mostly patients complain:
– Weakness – loss of performance – weight loss.
Late signs of the disease include:
– Feeling of prere in the abdomen – Protrusion of the abdominal wall – Yellowing of the skin (icterus)
5% of tumors are detected late due to tumor metastases (tumor spread to other organs).
How is liver cancer diagnosed?
The course of the disease is usually very rapidly progressive. The Tumor diagnosis is performed with the aid of ultrasound, computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging. A fine-needle biopsy (removal of liver tie through the abdominal wall using a special needle) can be used to confirm the diagnosis.
What types of liver tumors are there?
Besides hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), which is the most common form of liver cancer, there are the cholangiocellular carcinoma (bile duct carcinoma), the hepatoblastoma, the sarcoma or cystadenocarcinoma, all of which, however, are rather rarities.
Even more common than HCC (hepatocellular carcinoma) are Liver metastases , d.h. Tumor deposits of distant neoplasms in the liver (malignant secondary tumors of the liver). For example, these can be metastases from a Colon carcinoma (cancer of the large intestine) or a Mammary carcinoma (breast cancer) his. Since the liver is the main metabolic organ in humans with a very high blood supply, it is also one of the organs most frequently affected by tumor deposits.
Benign (benign) liver tumors include z.B. Hepatocellular adenomas, focal nodular hyperplasia (FNH), cavernous hemangiomas, or hepatic cysts.
How is a liver carcinoma treated?
The best survival rates for malignant liver tumors are achieved by complete, surgical removal (resection) of the neoplasm by a Specialists for liver surgery achieves. If severe cirrhosis of the liver (shrunken liver) is also present, the patient may also suffer from Liver Transplantation should be considered.
Prolongation of life with the help of palliative measures (measures that do not cure, but facilitate survival and possibly prevent liver metastases). prolong) is only possible to a limited extent. However, quality of life can be significantly improved by measures such as alcohol instillation into the tumor, chemotherapy, or improvement of bile drainage.
Liver cancer alternative treatment methods for tumor reduction
If the tumor cannot be removed by surgery, alcohol can be injected into the tumor or the tumor can be removed by heat (z.B. Radiofrequency probes, RFA = Radiofrequency ablation ) be reduced in size. Tumor reduction can "shrink" a previously inoperable tumor into an operable stage.
In advanced stages of the disease, the tumor can also be treated using selective internal radiotherapy (SIRT, radioembolization) to reduce the size of the tumor. In this procedure, radioactive material is introduced directly into the tumor. This method reduces the size of the tumor. The surrounding tie spared as much as possible.
Another option for tumor shrinkage is the use of the Transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) . In this procedure, a chemotherapeutic agent is injected directly into the cancerous tie via a vascular catheter that is advanced to the tumor. These tumor-reducing measures can be bridging measures until liver transplantation, until resection or palliative interventions.
A state-of-the-art procedure for tumor reduction in liver cancer is the HIFU therapy (ultrasound-guided high-intensity focused ultrasound). In this treatment approach, the tumor is "sonicated" from the outside using high-energy ultrasound waves. This heats the tumor cells to such an extent that they "boil away" and the tumor shrinks. This procedure is still in its infancy, but numerous studies have already shown that HIFU therapy is a successful therapeutic approach for tumor reduction with only minor side effects.
Liver cancer radiation
Thanks to the development of more precise radiotherapeutic procedures, the importance of radiotherapy for liver cancer is increasing. Particularly in the advanced stage, liver cancer can be stereotactic radiosurgery , Brachytherapy or Proton therapy good disease control results are achieved. The targeted use of radiation means that healthy tie is largely spared. This allows many patients to survive for a long time with good overall tolerability.
What are the chances of a cure for liver cancer??
Overall, the chances of cure for hepatocellular carcinoma are rather poor. Patients with known liver cirrhosis (shrinking liver) should therefore be screened about every six months using ultrasound and laboratory tests (tumor marker AFP = alpha-fetoprotein).
What is the life expectancy in liver cancer??
Untreated, the average survival time after diagnosis of "liver cancer" (HCC) is about 4 months. After surgical resection, patients survive an average of 3 years or. 20-50% of patients are cured after partial liver resection (removal of all tumor tie).
Which medical specialists are specialists in the treatment of liver cancer?
Those who suffer from liver cancer want the best medical care for themselves. This is why patients ask themselves, where can I find the best clinic for liver cancer therapy??
Since this question cannot be answered objectively and a reputable doctor would never claim to be the best doctor, one can only rely on a doctor's experience. The more patients with liver cancer a physician treats, the more experienced he or she becomes in his or her area of expertise.
Thus, specialists in liver cancer are specialists in gastroenterology, oncology, visceral surgery, radiology and nuclear medicine who specialize in the therapy of liver tumors. Their experience makes them the right contact for planning, implementation or second opinion.