Liver Cancer

The primary treatment options for liver cancer include surgery, tumour ablation, embolisation, radiation therapy and targeted therapies. The type of treatment you receive will depend on a number of different considerations, such as the type of liver cancer you have, its stage, your overall health and your treatment preferences. This page aims to give you a comprehensive overview of how liver cancer treatment works in the private health system.

Traditional chemotherapy is not routinely used for primary liver cancer. Instead, transarterial chemoembolisation (TACE) is used to deliver chemotherapy drugs directly to the cancerous tumour while blocking the blood flow through the hepatic artery (embolisation) for a short time. This allows the chemotherapy drug to stay in the cancerous tumour longer. 

The TACE procedure that involves the injection of the chemotherapy drugs through a plastic tube inserted from a small cut near the groin. It is usually performed by an interventional radiologist. 

Traditional chemotherapy can be provided for secondary liver cancer, which is cancer in the liver that has spread from other areas of the body. 

Targeted therapies are specialised drugs that destroy specific proteins in liver cancer cells. They work by blocking proteins in the cells’ control centre to prevent liver cancer cells from multiplying and spreading. Certain types of targeted therapy drugs known as tyrosine kinase inhibitors are commonly used to treat advanced liver cancers such as advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). 

Types of tyrosine kinase inhibitor drugs include:

• Sorafenib  
• Lenvatinib 

These drugs work by blocking a protein called tyrosine kinase which allows cancer cells to grow, and by preventing the supply of small blood vessels that provide nutrients to the cancer cells. They also block other kinase protein receptors that are responsible for the growth and spread of cancer cells. They are taken orally as a tablet or capsule once or twice a day. 

How often you receive immunotherapy treatment will vary depending on you and your cancer, however atezolizumab and bevacizumab are commonly combined and given by intravenous infusion every three weeks.

Stereotactic radiation therapy

Stereotactic radiation therapy to the liver is most commonly used to treat primary liver tumours. However, it can also be used to treat secondary cancers in the liver where suitable. This is typically available at our sites that are affiliated or attached to a hospital campus, due to additional support these patients require during treatment.

Stereotactic radiation therapy for liver cancer involves the use of specialised equipment to ensure the accurate delivery of treatment. Your oncologist will organise for some markers to be implanted into your liver prior to treatment. This allows us to monitor the exact position of the tumour during treatment, ensuring the tumours are precisely identified and targeted, allowing the surrounding healthy liver to have minimal exposure to radiation during treatment.

Using our auto beam hold technology, if the machine detects that the markers move outside of the treatment beam, the beam will automatically switch off. The treatment will only proceed when the tumour is within the treatment beam.

Selective internal radiation therapy (SIRT)

Selective internal radiation therapy (SIRT) may also be used as a treatment option for liver cancer. Also known as radioembolisation, SIRT targets liver cancer internally through small radioactive beads. These beads travel through the hepatic artery (the artery that provides oxygen to the liver) and slowly emit small bursts of radiation to shrink nearby tumours. SIRT is a common technique for secondary liver cancer.