(Left) Dr. Bo-Chin Liang, director of the Department of Imaging Medicine, National Taiwan University Hospital (NTUH), and (Right) Dr. Kevin Huang, chief executive officer of the Center for Minimally Invasive Interventional Cancer Therapy, NTUH.1
Liver cancer is like a silent killer, which is silently taking away the lives of the people in China. According to the statistics from the Department of National Health, there are 74.3 cases of liver cancer in every 100,000 people in China, and there are about 3,700 deaths due to liver cancer each year; thus it is more important to understand the risk factors for liver cancer, early diagnosis, and follow-up. The first step in the process is to find out the risk factors of liver cancer, early diagnosis, and tracking.
Selecting treatment according to tumor location and patient status
Huang Kai-Wen, Executive Director of Minimally Invasive Interventional Cancer Center, National Taiwan University Hospital, explains that liver cancer is divided into four stages, and the treatment can be categorized into early, intermediate, and late according to the patient's state of mind, so as to reduce the burden of the patient's body in the process of treatment. If the liver has only a single tumor or less than three tumors and the function is normal, then it is early stage and can be treated by surgical resection or tumor ablation; patients with many tumors but no metastasis or poor liver function are categorized as intermediate stage and can choose transvascular chemoembolization; if the cancer cells have metastasized to other organs, then it is late stage and it is recommended to take targeted drugs or chemical drugs as treatment.
Hepatocellular carcinoma of 6 centimeters is difficult to treat, and the new drug-carrying microsphere embolization is effective
The director of the Department of Imaging Medicine at National Taiwan University Hospital, Mr. Liang Boqin, cited the example of a 53-year-old Mr. Lin, who was found to have a malignant tumor in his liver with a diameter of 6 centimeters in the health checkup, and received the traditional chemoembolization treatment. After receiving traditional chemoembolization treatment, the tumor not only did not shrink significantly, but also had strong side effects that made Mr. Lin fearful. The new chemoembolization treatment with drug-carrying microspheres was recommended by Dr. Leung. The embolized material is smaller than traditional chemoembolization, which can penetrate deeper into the tumor cells and release the chemical drugs stably, enhancing the effectiveness of the treatment and alleviating the side effects; Mr. Lin's tumor shrank and disappeared after the treatment, and there were almost no cancer cells left in his liver on the imaging.
Overseas studies have confirmed that the new embolization technique reduces the side effects of the treatment
Director Boqin Liang further added that compared to traditional chemoembolization, the drug-carrying microspheres are about 100 micrometers in size and have a smaller, more regular shape, which can penetrate deeper into the tumor supplying blood vessels, so the drug stays in the tumor for a longer period of time, and it is not easy to cause inflammation in the hepatic arteries, and it has been confirmed by the European clinical trials. European clinical trials have confirmed that drug-loaded microsphere chemoembolization can significantly reduce the side effects of traditional chemoembolization, such as abdominal pain, nausea, and decreased liver function, making it an additional treatment option for patients with poor liver function, large tumors, and those who are afraid of the side effects of traditional chemoembolization.
Actively treating early-stage hepatocellular carcinoma, communication between patients and doctors is the key
Kevin Huang, the CEO of the company, also mentioned that most of the patients with hepatocellular carcinoma in China are in the early stage, and the tumors are relatively small, so the prognosis of surgical resections can be well controlled. He also called on the public to take an active role in the treatment of liver cancer if diagnosed, and to discuss with the medical team to find out what treatment is suitable for them in order to maximize the effectiveness of the treatment.
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