#livercancer Tag

13 Jul

Posted at 15:27h in Cancer Research, Hepatitis - Liver Disease
Editorial Notice: This post is for background educational purposes only and is not an endorsement of any specific treatment, facility, or medical navigation service. Always consult a qualified oncologist regarding treatment options for metastatic cancer.

Stage 4 liver metastases used to signal a narrow set of options and a predictable clinical trajectory. For years, treatment meant systemic therapy alone, and outcomes depended almost entirely on how long those drugs could hold the disease in check. But over the past decade, liver-directed oncology has changed faster than almost any other area in metastatic care.

Techniques that were once reserved for rare cases — targeted radiation, image-guided ablation, selective internal radiotherapy — are now used routinely in major centers. So the previously unrealistic question is now being asked in a serious manner: is a functional cure possible for some patients with liver metastases?

  [caption id="attachment_74965" align="aligncenter" width="267"]treatment-liver-metastases-germany.jpg Photo by Tranmautritam:[/caption]

18 May

Posted at 16:27h in Author Interviews, Biomarkers, Cancer Research, Hepatitis - Liver Disease
MedicalResearch.com Interview with: [caption id="attachment_59163" align="alignleft" width="70"]Yujin Hoshida Dr. Hoshida[/caption] Yujin Hoshida, MD, PhD Director, Liver Tumor Translational Research Program CPRIT Scholar in Cancer Research Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center Professor of Internal Medicine Division of Digestive and Liver Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center MedicalResearch.com:  What is the background for this study?  Response: Liver cancer is the fastest rising cause of cancer-related death in the U.S. with the sharply growing epidemic of obesity and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Late diagnosis at advanced stage is the main reason for the poor survival of liver cancer patients. Therefore, professional societies recommend semi-annual liver cancer screening for early diagnosis. However, it's practically infeasible due to the vast size of patient population (estimated to affect one-fourth of population). Thus, we urgently need tools to identify a small subset of patients with elevated liver cancer risk, on which we can concentrate our effort of screening.