Can Liver Cancer Be Cured? - The Long Answer

Liver cancer is tough to beat. Whether it can be cured depends on a lot of things, like how early it’s detected, the type of cancer, and how healthy the patient is. Sometimes, the goal isn’t to get rid of cancer entirely, but to manage it and help the patient live longer. 

Let’s talk about what makes the difference between success and struggle when it comes to treating liver cancer.

A Look Back at Liver Cancer Treatment

Liver cancer has been a challenge for doctors for a long time. Ancient records, like the Ebers Papyrus from Egypt, mentioned strange lumps in the abdomen that might have been cancer. Back then, people didn’t know much about the disease, but they tried herbal remedies or spiritual practices to ease the symptoms.

Fast forward to the 20th century, when medicine took big steps forward. Doctors learned how to spot liver cancer earlier using tools like X-rays and, later, CT scans. Surgery became an option in the 1950s, with doctors removing parts of the liver. 

By the 1980s, liver transplants gave new hope to people with severe cases. Treatments like chemotherapy and targeted drugs came next, helping patients whose cancer couldn’t be surgically removed.

Today, treatment is even more advanced, with therapies that use the immune system or pinpoint cancer cells. But looking at the history shows how far we’ve come—and how much work there still is to do to make liver cancer more manageable, or even curable, for everyone.

Can Treatments Actually Cure Liver Cancer?

Not really. 

There are several treatments that aim to get rid of liver cancer, but they usually only stop it from growing. These work best when the cancer is detected early. The main treatments include surgery, liver transplants, and therapies aimed at targeting the tumors directly.

Surgical Resection

If the cancer is localized and the liver is otherwise healthy, surgery can work to remove the part of the liver that has cancer. The liver has a remarkable ability to regenerate, so recovery is possible. But if there’s liver damage from cirrhosis, surgery may not be an option. However, less than 30% of patients with localized HCC are eligible for surgery.

Liver Transplant

For people whose liver cancer is still in the early stages, a liver transplant can be a potential cure. This involves replacing the damaged liver with a healthy one. The transplant success rate is high when patients meet the strict criteria—meaning the tumors are small and few.

Localized Therapies

If surgery isn’t an option, treatments that target the tumors directly in the liver can help. These therapies might not completely cure the cancer, but they can extend survival and improve quality of life.

• Radiofrequency Ablation (RFA): RFA uses heat to burn tumors. It’s a minimally invasive procedure that’s great for small, localized tumors.

• Transarterial Chemoembolization (TACE): TACE involves delivering chemotherapy directly to the tumor and cutting off its blood supply. This can shrink tumors and help control symptoms when surgery is not an option.

How Curable Is Advanced Liver Cancer?

Advanced liver cancer is even harder to treat. Most treatments try to slow it down and improve life. Immunotherapy drugs like nivolumab (Opdivo) and pembrolizumab (Keytruda) target PD-1, a protein that helps cancer hide from the immune system, allowing the body to attack cancer cells.

Meanwhile, sorafenib (Nexavar) and lenvatinib (Lenvima) block cancer growth. Combination options, like atezolizumab (Tecentriq) with bevacizumab (Avastin), work better than older treatments.

Sometimes, a liver transplant is possible if the cancer hasn’t spread. For early-stage cases, survival rates after a transplant are 60% to 70%. 

But overall survival drops as the cancer spreads—17% for all stages, 12.8% for regional, and just 3.1% for distant. These treatments can help people live longer, but they’re not cures. Research keeps looking for better options.

The Effectiveness Of Targeted Therapies

When liver cancer spreads, targeted therapies can help control it. While these therapies aren’t cures, they can extend survival and slow down the disease.

Sorafenib

Sorafenib was the first targeted therapy approved for liver cancer. It slows the growth of tumors and prevents blood vessels from feeding them. But it’s not cheap—Sorafenib price is not economical, depending on the location and healthcare system.

Lenvatinib

Lenvatinib is an alternative to Sorafenib and works in similar ways. It has shown good results in treating advanced liver cancer. Lenvatinib price is usually around 25,550 USD for 60 tablets. In clinical trials, Lenvatinib extended overall survival by 13.6 months compared to 12.3 months for Sorafenib.

Regorafenib

Regorafenib is used when Sorafenib stops working. It helps slow the cancer’s progression. This treatment costs 24,150 USD for a supply of 84 tablets, where 4 tablets are taken everyday for 21 days of every 28 day cycle. However, you can see some variation about Regorafenib price in USA Vs India.

Cabozantinib

Cabozantinib blocks the pathways that help cancer spread. It’s used for advanced liver cancer and costs about $26,950 for 30 tablets.

What About Immunotherapy?

Immunotherapy helps the body’s immune system fight cancer. It’s an option when other treatments haven’t worked.

• Nivolumab and Pembrolizumab: These drugs help the immune system recognize and attack cancer cells. They’ve shown potential in treating advanced liver cancer, though they don’t work for everyone.

What Affects the Odds of Curing Liver Cancer?

Several factors decide how likely it is to cure liver cancer:

• Stage at Diagnosis: The earlier liver cancer is caught, the better the chances of a cure. For instance, the 5-year survival rate for patients with localized liver cancer can be as high as 60% to 70%. But when it has spread (metastasized), that survival rate drops to just 3%.

• Liver Health: A lot of people with liver cancer also have liver diseases, like cirrhosis or hepatitis. This can make treatment harder. When the liver is already damaged, options like surgery and transplants get trickier.

• Type of Cancer: The most common type of liver cancer is hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), accounting for 75% of cases. But there are rarer forms, like intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma, which can be harder to treat and typically has a poorer prognosis.

• Overall Health: A patient’s health plays a big role. Surgery, chemotherapy, and other treatments can take a toll, so how well a patient can handle them matters. The stronger the overall health, the better the chances of successful treatment.

The Cost of Treatment

Liver cancer treatments can be expensive. Surgery, transplants, and medications like targeted therapies come with high costs. Many patients rely on insurance, government programs, or nonprofit help to manage expenses.

New Developments in Liver Cancer Treatment

Liver cancer treatments are getting better, thanks to new research. These advances offer more options, especially for advanced cancer. Here's what’s on the horizon.

• Combination Therapies: Doctors are combining targeted therapies with immunotherapies, and it’s working. Targeted therapies attack cancer cells, while immunotherapies help the immune system fight back. Using both together, like Sorafenib with immune checkpoint inhibitors, improves treatment results.

• Gene Therapy: Gene therapy is showing promise. It works by changing the DNA inside cancer cells to stop their growth. New tools, like CRISPR, help target the changes causing cancer. This approach could be a game-changer.

• Liquid Biopsies: Liquid biopsies use blood to find cancer-related DNA. This helps doctors spot liver cancer earlier, even before symptoms appear. It's less invasive and makes tracking cancer easier, allowing for better treatment decisions.

• AI and Precision Medicine: AI is helping doctors predict how cancer will behave. It looks at things like genetic data and scans. Precision medicine uses this info to tailor treatments to each patient’s specific cancer.

• Cancer Vaccines: Cancer vaccines are still in the works but show potential. They train the immune system to target cancer cells. Though not available yet, they could help prevent liver cancer from coming back.

Final Thoughts

Liver cancer isn’t always curable, but treatment development isn’t slowing down anytime soon. Always remember, early detection and personalized care are the best way to deal with it. 

Overall, while the cost of treatment can be a burden, new research brings hope for the future. The best approach now is to catch the disease early, make the right treatment choices, and lean on support from doctors, family, and friends.