Liver cancer is a malignant tumor with a high incidence and danger, and most patients are diagnosed in the middle and advanced stages, so treatment methods are the decisive factor for the survival rate and quality of life of patients. Among the treatment methods for liver cancer, interventional therapy has become the key to the rehabilitation of liver cancer patients due to its unique advantages and precision. So, what is interventional therapy used for, how does it help patients recover, and which patients are suitable for this type of treatment?
Recently, Hou Changlong, chief physician of the Department of Interventional Medicine of the First Affiliated Hospital of the University of Science and Technology of China, and Lin Xin, the gold medal host of the national health program, had an in-depth discussion with the majority of netizens on the progress of interventional treatment of liver cancer in the live broadcast room of the media of the Medical Federation.
Safe and effective interventional therapy is the key to the recovery of liver cancer patients
Interventional therapy for liver cancer is divided into two types: non-vascular and vascular, and vascular interventional therapy is a more commonly used treatment method due to the abundant blood supply of liver cancer. Under the guidance of imaging equipment such as ultrasound, CT or angiography, vascular interventional therapy uses a catheter from the femoral artery to the hepatic artery, and injects chemotherapy drugs or embolic agents into the artery supplying blood to the liver tumor, so as to achieve the curative effect. Chief Physician Hou Changlong continued to add that interventional therapy has the following advantages:
1. After treatment, most patients have a significant decrease in alpha-fetoprotein, a reduction in tumor volume, a reduction in pain, and an improvement in physical condition;
2. Interventional therapy can realize local medication, accurately hit tumors, the drug concentration is dozens of times that of systemic chemotherapy, and can block the blood supply to tumors, with fewer side effects, which is a safe and effective treatment method;
3. It can be treated with surgery, and the lesion is reduced through interventional treatment first, and then resected after reaching the standard of surgery;
4. Interventional treatment does not require surgery, and the patient is less traumatic and easier to recover. In addition, according to the situation, multiple treatments can be carried out;
5. The cost of interventional therapy is lower than that of systemic chemotherapy, which can reduce the economic burden of cancer patients in the long run.
Interventional therapy "nuclear weapons" opens up a new situation in the diagnosis and treatment of liver cancer
In 2022, the State Food and Drug Administration approved the introduction of yttrium-90-SIRT, which has been clinically developed abroad for 20 years, becoming more mature, safe and reliable, and is known as a "nuclear weapon" to combat liver cancer. This interventional treatment is called hepatic artery embolization radiotherapy (TARE), which uses a resin ball of only micron size and carries radionuclide yttrium-90 to accurately kill tumor cells through hepatic artery intervention, which has a faster effect and fewer side effects than traditional interventional therapy, and greatly improves the quality of life of patients. Yttrium-90 can treat very difficult portal vein cancer thrombosis and can also win the opportunity for surgery for some patients with insufficient residual liver. In addition, Chief Physician Hou Changlong introduced several other interventional treatments:
1. Transcatheter vascular embolization (TAE): the catheter is used to directly act on the tumor through the blood vessels, and the blood vessels of the tumor are blocked through granular or liquid embolic agents, so that the lesions are ischemic and necrotic.
2. Transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE): through the catheter through the artery, the embolic agent and chemotherapy drugs are directly applied to the liver tumor, cutting off the blood supply to the tumor while destroying the cell wall of the liver tumor.
3. Hepatic arterial perfusion chemotherapy (HAIC): Through hepatic artery cannulation, the perfusion of chemotherapy drugs is completed, which can effectively increase the concentration of local drugs in liver tumor tissues, enhance drug efficacy and reduce systemic side effects.
There is no drug to treat advanced liver cancer≠ and interventional therapy brings hope
In the live broadcast room, a netizen asked: "Can interventional therapy be used for advanced liver cancer?" Chief Physician Hou Changlong replied: "If the best treatment period for surgery is missed, and at the same time, under the condition that liver function allows, we can choose interventional treatment." In addition, Chief Physician Hou Changlong also introduced the following conditions for patients who are suitable for interventional therapy:
1. Large tumor volume: If the volume of the tumor is very large and the lesion cannot be removed at one time by surgery, the tumor volume can be reduced through interventional treatment, so that some patients can get the opportunity to operate;
2. Inoperable resection: For patients who are older, or have poor physical fitness, and have underlying diseases such as diabetes and hypertension, they are not suitable for surgical resection or chemoradiotherapy, and interventional treatment can also be selected;
3. Postoperative intensive treatment: The patient has undergone surgery, and the doctor highly suspects that the tumor is residual or has a high risk of recurrence, which is also suitable for interventional treatment.
After years of clinical development in China, interventional therapy for liver cancer has made great progress, which has greatly improved the survival time and quality of life of liver cancer patients. Therefore, for patients who are unfortunately diagnosed with liver cancer, especially those in the middle and advanced stages, do not be discouraged and must actively seek medical treatment, doctors will formulate appropriate interventional treatments according to the situation, give full play to the advantages, and combine other treatment methods to benefit more patients.
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