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Treatment Options for Liver Cancer
Prognosis for Liver Cancer
The prognosis for patients with liver cancer depends upon a number of important variables including:
- Size of the tumor
- Number of tumors present
- Degree of residual liver function
- Type of treatment
- Overall health of the patient
As mentioned previously, only a small percentage of patients with liver cancer are diagnosed with localized resectable disease where the tumor can be removed surgically. Most patients are diagnosed at the advanced-stages of liver cancer where surgery is not a viable treatment option. In general, the 5-year survival rate for patients with localized, resectable liver cancer is in the range of 30% to 40%. The prospects for long-term survival following surgical resection are also complicated by the high rate of recurrence of the cancer which occurs in more than 70% of cases.
