Chemotherapy is a treatment procedure for liver cancer wherein certain medications are used to destroy the cancer cells present in the organ. It is an option used when the patient is declared unfit to undergo hepatectomy or liver transplant and has shown no signs of improvement even after ablation, targeted therapy or embolization.
One of the most important things to be considered while carrying out chemotherapy for liver cancer is the selection of medications for the procedure since most of the standard medications fused during this procedure have no effect on the liver cancer cells. Recent studies have shown that a combination of certain medications has been found to be more effective than a single medication for treating liver cancer. However, despite this, it was found that these didn’t contribute much towards the shrinking of the cells and the effect was seen only for a small duration of time. Additionally, the medications could only marginally increase life expectancy.
Some of the most common medications used for treating liver cancer are as follows:
- Oxaliplatin
- Cisplatin
- Gemcitabine
- Doxorubicin
- Capecitabine
- 5-Fluoruracil
- Mitoxantrone
A combination of the above is administered sometimes under special cases for better results. GEMOX, which is a combination of gemcitabine and oxaliplatin is one such example.
Ways to administer chemotherapy in liver cancer treatments
Chemotherapy can be administered in different ways. Systemic chemotherapy is one way where the medications are injected into the veins or taken orally. A sturdier catheter is utilized to administer chemotherapy intravenously. These catheters are also known as Central Venous Catheter and are used to put the medications, blood products, nutrients, and fluids straight into the blood. This leads to them entering the bloodstream and reaching every part of the body. Hence, it is used in cases where cancer has metastasized to different parts of the body.
Regional chemotherapy involves injecting the medications to the artery that leads to the part that has the cancer cells. This is a more focused method of chemotherapy and reduces the side-effects caused by chemo medications. In liver cancer treatments, the medication is injected into the hepatic artery, thus making it regional chemotherapy.
Hepatic Artery Infusion involves injecting chemo medications directly into the hepatic artery at a constant rate and is considered to be more effective than regional chemotherapy. A pump is used to inject the medications slowly and constantly and the procedure is performed while the patient is on anesthesia. During HAI the healthy cells of the liver break down most of the medicine before it spreads to the body, ensuring it is efficient and has fewer side-effects.
Side-effects of chemotherapy
Chemo medications reduce the multiplication of the cancer cells, thus shrinking them. The entire body is made up of cells and some of the most common ones are the bone marrow cells, hair follicle cells, the cells present at the lining of the mouth, and the intestine. These are largely affected by chemotherapy medications, leading to other health problems. Some of the most common side-effects are as follows:
- Sore mouth
- Hair loss
- Nausea and vomiting
- Loss of appetite
- Stomach upset
- Fatigue
- Excessive bleeding after injury
- Increased vulnerability to infection
