Liver cancer treatment - Dr. Klaus Emmanuel

Your specialist for liver cancer

“We never give up on anyone, ever.” This has probably also become the guiding principle of our interdisciplinary team, which has set itself the goal of ensuring the life and quality of life of our liver cancer patients in the best possible way. Personally, I am one of the most internationally recognized specialists in liver cancer.

Types of liver cancer

A distinction is made between different types of tumors:

Primary liver cancer, such as liver carcinomas or bile duct carcinomas, originates directly in the liver.

Liver metastases are secondary tumors that have spread from other organs. Most of them are metastases of colon and rectal cancer, lung and mammary gland cancer.

Symptoms of liver cancer

The symptoms of liver cancer are often difficult to recognize. These include a pressure pain in the right upper abdomen and a general feeling of weakness, combined with weight loss and possibly a yellowing of the skin and eyes (known as jaundice). In advanced liver diseases, such as liver cirrhosis, small, spider-like veins (spider angiomas) may also appear on the skin.

Diagnostics

The first step is usually a high-resolution ultrasound scan and, if necessary, a contrast-enhanced ultrasound to detect suspicious foci in the liver. If it is unclear what type of liver cancer is involved, a liver biopsy can provide information in individual cases. In addition, special blood values can be used to determine which liver cancer diagnosis must be assumed.

New high-tech imaging techniques such as computed tomography, thin-layer computed tomography and high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging are now key components of diagnosis.

Additional therapies

In the case of extensive infestation, a combination of surgical intervention and additional therapies is often necessary. These therapies are also available to us if removal is not possible:

In radiofrequency ablation or microwave ablation, the tumor is contained by the local destruction of cells using extreme heat.

At the University Clinic for Surgery in Salzburg, we will now be using an absolutely innovative treatment method for the first time under my leadership – the NanoKnife, also known as Irreversible Electroporation (IRE). Tumor tissue is targeted with short electrical impulses of several thousand volts, destroying cancer cells.

The advantage: damage to the surrounding healthy tissue can be prevented and even tumors next to very sensitive tissue can be reached.

We also use the embolization procedure, in which the blood vessels that supply the tumour with nutrients are sealed off by destructive substances so that the tumour dies. Chemoembolization and SIRT (selective internal radiotherapy) are available to us for this purpose. SIRT is a nuclear medicine therapy and is based on the introduction of small radioactive beads into the tumor tissue of the liver. Several million of these small beads are administered via a small catheter that is inserted into the hepatic artery from the groin.

Treatment of liver cancer

Wherever possible, we perform minimally invasive liver operations. This approach is less stressful for patients and allows for quicker recovery, enabling subsequent chemotherapy to start sooner if needed. In addition, only small scars remain and the patient can leave the hospital after a few days.

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