Chemotherapy for primary liver cancer

Chemotherapy is the use of anti-cancer (cytotoxic) drugs to destroy cancer cells.

Chemotherapy is sometimes used to treat primary liver cancers that can’t be removed by surgery, although in adults chemotherapy will not usually cure the cancer. It can help to shrink the tumour and slow its progression, which can help to control symptoms.

Chemotherapy drugs are sometimes given as tablets, or more usually, as injections into a vein (intravenously) or by injection directly into the hepatic artery (the main blood vessel that takes blood to the liver). Chemotherapy can sometimes be given as part of a treatment called chemoembolisation. 

Side effects Back to top

Chemotherapy can sometimes cause unpleasant side effects, but it can also make you feel better by relieving the symptoms of the cancer. Most people have some side effects, but these can often be well controlled with medicines. Side effects can include:

• lowered resistance to infection
• bruising or bleeding
• low number of red blood cells (anaemia)
• sore mouth
• feeling sick
• tiredness
• hair loss
• diarrhoea
• skin problems
• numbness or tingling in hands or feet
• changes in the way your kidneys work (caused by the chemotherapy drugs cisplatin or gemcitabine)
• changes in hearing.

The drugs that are used Back to top

There is no standard chemotherapy drug for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma. The most commonly used chemotherapy drug is doxorubicin| . Other chemotherapy drugs that may be used are:

• cisplatin
• fluorouracil (5FU)
• gemcitabine (Gemzar®).

 A combination of chemotherapy drugs may be used. Not everyone is suitable for chemotherapy treatment as it can only be given if the liver function is good enough.

How chemotherapy is given Back to top

Chemotherapy is usually given as a session of treatment called a cycle. Each cycle lasts a few days and is followed by a rest period of a few weeks to allow the body to recover from any side effects of the treatment. The number of cycles you have will depend on the type of liver cancer you have and how well it is responding to the drugs.

Chemotherapy is usually given in the hospital outpatient department or chemotherapy unit. Sometimes the chemotherapy is injected slowly into a vein (intravenously), or it may be given as a drip (infusion) over a few hours. You may need to stay a few days in hospital. Occasionally it is given as a continuous infusion through a small pump that you take home with you. Your doctor or nurse will explain all about your chemotherapy.