Liver Cancer

Primary liver cancers, also known as hepatocellular carcinoma and cholangiocarcinoma, have more than tripled since 1980. New approaches to treatment and improved surgical techniques are helping to fight this disease and ensure survival. Our goal is to detect and diagnose liver cancer early, when treatment is optimal, and to discover new and effective treatment options for our patients through research, in collaboration with Yale Cancer Center.

Why Smilow Cancer Hospital for Liver Cancer

The expert team at Smilow Cancer Hospital’s Liver Cancer Program includes hepatologists; hepatobiliary and transplant surgeons; diagnostic and interventional radiologists; pathologists; medical oncologists and oncology nurses. Our staff meets on a weekly basis to discuss each patient’s diagnosis and to develop a personalized treatment plan based on personal goals, health, age, liver function, cancer stage and other factors.

A combination of interventional radiology and surgical techniques, including ablation therapy, liver resection, new chemotherapeutic options, and liver transplantation, are available to our patients. After treatment, our onco-hepatologist team provides continued care to monitor for cancer recurrence and preserve liver function.

Other unique aspects of liver cancer treatment at Smilow Cancer Hospital include:

For patients diagnosed with early disease, liver transplantation can provide the definitive cure for both the cancer and the advanced liver disease that frequently accompanies a diagnosis of cancer. Learn more about our Transplantation services.

For patients who do not have advanced liver disease or for patients who are unable to receive a liver transplant, transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) or radiofrequency ablation (RFA) are surgical resection and ablative therapies that can provide excellent survival rates. TACE delivers chemotherapy through a catheter directly to the liver tumor. RFA is a common treatment method for small tumors and uses a direct current to destroy tumors.
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