Treatment Options for Lung Cancer With Liver Metastasis
Treatment for lung cancer that has spread to the liver focuses on controlling the disease, alleviating symptoms, and improving quality of life through a combination of approaches, Rizk says, which can include:
- Systemic Treatments “The primary treatments are systemic therapies that travel through the bloodstream to target cancer cells throughout the body,” Rizk says. These include chemotherapy, targeted therapy for cancers with specific genetic mutations, and immunotherapy, which helps the body’s own immune system fight the cancer.
- Localized Treatments Local therapies may be used to specifically target the tumors in the liver, such as stereotactic body radiation therapy to deliver precise radiation, Rizk says. “Other localized options include ablation techniques to destroy cancer cells with high-energy waves and embolization procedures like transarterial chemoembolization to block the tumors’ blood supply while delivering chemotherapy directly,” he says.
- Surgery Surgical removal is typically not an option for most people with liver metastases. Tumors may involve major blood vessels, other health conditions may make surgery unsafe, and complications from the procedure could delay other treatments. However, surgery may be possible when metastases are detected early or other treatments successfully shrink the tumors.
- Clinical Trials Clinical trials offer access to newer treatments or treatment combinations that are still being evaluated. Depending on the trial, these therapies may aim to slow or stop tumor growth, shrink metastatic tumors, or improve survival and quality of life. Talk to your doctor about clinical trials you might be eligible for.
“There’s no single treatment plan for everyone,” Hong says. “Our goal is to find the treatment most likely to control the cancer while helping each patient maintain the best quality of life possible.”
Palliative Care
“For someone with lung cancer that has metastasized to the liver, palliative care offers comprehensive support by actively managing distressing symptoms, like pain, shortness of breath, fatigue, and nausea, while also providing crucial emotional, psychological, and spiritual support to help patients and their families cope with the diagnosis,” Rizk says.
Palliative care is provided by a dedicated team that works alongside oncologists to ensure coordinated care, facilitate clear communication, and assist in complex decision-making.
Importantly, palliative care is not the same as hospice and doesn’t mean giving up or stopping cancer treatment, Hong says. “It can be provided alongside cancer care and focuses on helping people feel and function as well as possible,” she says.
Read the full article here
