A Part of the University of Maryland Medical Center

• General Information About Adult Primary Liver Cancer
• Stages of Adult Primary Liver Cancer
• Recurrent Adult Primary Liver Cancer
• Treatment Option Overview
• Treatment Options for Adult Primary Liver Cancer
• To Learn More About Adult Primary Liver Cancer

• GI Oncology

• Treatment Services
• Multidisciplinary Approach to Care
• Physicians and Staff
• Liver-Directed Therapies Program
• Pancreatic Cancer Therapy Program
• Trilogy Radiation Therapy
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• Digestive Diseases Center
• Tumor Immunology and Immunotherapy Program
• Clinical Trials
• Information for Patients

Treatment Options for Adult Primary Liver Cancer

A link to a list of current clinical trials is included for each treatment section. For some types or stages of cancer, there may not be any trials listed. Check with your doctor for clinical trials that are not listed here but may be right for you.

Localized Resectable Adult Primary Liver Cancer

Treatment of localized resectable adult primary liver cancer may include the following:

• Surgery (partial hepatectomy).
• Surgery (total hepatectomy) and liver transplant.
• A clinical trial of regional or systemic chemotherapy or biologic therapy following surgery.

Check for U.S. clinical trials from NCI's list of cancer clinical trials that are now accepting patients with localized resectable adult primary liver cancer. For more specific results, refine the search by using other search features, such as the location of the trial, the type of treatment, or the name of the drug. General information about clinical trials is available from the NCI Web site.

Localized and Locally Advanced Unresectable Adult Primary Liver Cancer

Treatment of localized and locally advanced unresectable adult primary liver cancer may include the following:

• Surgery (cryosurgery or radiofrequency ablation).
• Chemotherapy (chemoembolization, regional chemotherapy, or systemic chemotherapy).
• Percutaneous ethanol injection.
• Surgery (total hepatectomy) and liver transplant.
• Radiation therapy with radiosensitizers.
• Systemic chemotherapy and/or targeted therapy.
• A clinical trial of targeted therapy after chemoembolization or combined with chemotherapy.
• A clinical trial of a combination of surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy. Hyperthermia therapy may also be used. Chemotherapy and radiation therapy may be used to shrink the tumor before surgery.

Check for U.S. clinical trials from NCI's list of cancer clinical trials that are now accepting patients with localized unresectable adult primary liver cancer. For more specific results, refine the search by using other search features, such as the location of the trial, the type of treatment, or the name of the drug. General information about clinical trials is available from the NCI Web site.

Advanced Adult Primary Liver Cancer

There is no standard treatment for advanced adult primary liver cancer. Patients may consider taking part in a clinical trial, which may include the following:.

• Biologic therapy, chemotherapy, and/or radiation therapy with or without radiosensitizers. These treatments may be given as palliative therapy to help relieve symptoms and improve the quality of life.
• Targeted therapy.

Check for U.S. clinical trials from NCI's list of cancer clinical trials that are now accepting patients with advanced adult primary liver cancer. For more specific results, refine the search by using other search features, such as the location of the trial, the type of treatment, or the name of the drug. General information about clinical trials is available from the NCI Web site.

Recurrent Adult Primary Liver Cancer

Treatment of recurrent adult primary liver cancer may include the following:

• Surgery (partial hepatectomy).
• Surgery (total hepatectomy) and liver transplant.
• Chemotherapy (chemoembolization or systemic chemotherapy).
• Percutaneous ethanol injection.
• A clinical trial of a new therapy.

Check for U.S. clinical trials from NCI's list of cancer clinical trials that are now accepting patients with recurrent adult primary liver cancer. For more specific results, refine the search by using other search features, such as the location of the trial, the type of treatment, or the name of the drug. General information about clinical trials is available from the NCI Web site.