After liver cancer is found and staged, your doctor will recommend one or more treatment options. Choosing a treatment plan is a major decision. Take time and think about all of your choices.
When planning your treatment, it is important to take into account is the stage (extent) of the cancer. But you and your cancer care team will also want to think about your age, general state of health, and personal preferences.
It may be a good idea to get a second opinion, especially from a doctor experienced in treating liver cancer. A second opinion can give you more information and help you feel more confident about the treatment plan that you pick. Some insurance companies want a second opinion before they will agree to pay for certain treatments. Almost all will pay for the second opinion.
Surgery
At this time surgery offers the only likely chance to cure liver cancer. Surgery is done either to remove the tumor or do a liver transplant. If all of the cancer that the surgeon can see at the time of the operation can be removed, you have the best outlook for survival. But complete removal of most liver cancers is not possible. Often the cancer is large, is found in many different parts of the liver, or has spread beyond the liver. Also, many people with cirrhosis do not have enough healthy liver left to make surgery an option.
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