Treating Liver Cancer in Dallas – An Overview of Liver-Directed Therapies

Among the over 35,000 patients diagnosed with liver cancer in America every year, fewer than 40% of them are candidates for surgical resection of their tumors. This may be because the tumors are too large or too numerous to remove via surgery, or too close to major arteries. This is why the specialized liver-directed therapies provided by the best liver cancer doctors in Dallas at MTV IR are so important. They enable us to focus treatment on the tumors themselves, avoiding the many drawbacks of systemic treatment.

Why "liver-directed" therapies?

Systemic therapy – the use of chemotherapy drugs injected into the bloodstream – can be effective for many patients in helping to control, slow the growth of, or destroy tumors in their livers. However, the powerful medicines used in systemic therapy also may damage non-cancerous cells, and may cause a number of unpleasant side effects. Treatments that target the tumors directly – used either in conjunction with other treatments or to shrink tumors before surgery – can be useful in these cases because they target only the tumors themselves.

What types of liver-directed therapies does MTV IR use when treating liver cancer in Dallas?

Bland embolization is a nonsurgical, minimally-invasive treatment option that can be used in conjunction with other treatments to shrink tumors before surgery or control blood loss. It can also be a primary treatment if other treatments have failed or you are not a candidate for them. In the procedure, small, embolic particles are injected directly into the blood supply that feeds the tumor through a tiny catheter, thus destroying it by blocking the flow of oxygen and nutrients.

Chemoembolization is similar to bland embolization, but additionally attacks tumors by injecting chemotherapy drugs directly into the blood supply feeding the tumors. This allows the delivery of higher doses of the drugs than systemic chemotherapy, but without the same danger of side effects.

Radioembolization is a treatment option for patients with liver cancer that cannot be effectively treated by other means. It is sometimes called Selective Internal Radiation Therapy (SIRT), and uses microscopic radioactive spheres containing Yttrium-90 to treat the cancer. These beads are injected directly into the tumors via a catheter, and then emit radiation, killing the cancer.

Portal vein embolization (PVE) is a procedure that can be used as a preparation for patients with liver cancer to shrink the amount of diseased liver tissue prior to surgical resection of the tumors.

If you are interested in finding out more about any of these liver-directed therapies, or the other state-of-the-art liver cancer treatment options in North Texas offered by MTV IR, please read the more in-depth articles we've provided about our services at http://www.mtvir.com/ or give us a call directly at 469-447-4008. We'll be happy to answer any questions you might have.

Author Bio: Doctors from a cancer hospital in North Texas discuss treating liver cancer in Dallas, and present an overview of their liver-directed therapies.

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MTVIR, the best Cancer Treatment Center in Dallas offers Liver Cancer Treatment. Our Liver Cancer Doctor offers advanced cancer diagnosis and treatment.