Transplantation for Liver Cancer
Patients with cirrhosis have a much higher risk
of developing hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC-liver
cancer) within the damaged liver. Because of this
feared development, the liver transplant program
at the Penn Transplant Center provides initial
screening for cancer when the patient is evaluated
for transplantation, and follows strict guidelines
for following patients at risk on the waiting
list.
- The transplant physicians at Penn offer aggressive
treatment of HCC within cirrhotic livers.
- All patients with primary liver cancer may
be considered as candidates for transplantation,
and a full workup is performed to determine
if the cancer has spread outside the liver.
- A specialized multidisciplinary team including
the transplant surgeon, hepatologist, medical
oncologist, and interventional radiologist will
discuss each individual case and propose treatment
options.
Treatment Options for Patients with Liver
Cancer
Transplantation is one of several therapeutic
modalities for liver cancer.
It may be possible to consider surgical resection
depending on the size and configuration of the
tumor. Surgical resection is when the diseased
portion of the liver is removed. Most patients
are listed for transplantation prior to any invasive
procedure like surgical resection, as any type
of surgery may cause the already marginal liver
function to deteriorate.
Other innovative therapies that are offered
to patients who are waiting on the list, or who
are not surgical candidates, include:
These therapies can be performed in interventional
radiology and will help to avoid surgery until
the time of transplantation.
Living Donor Transplantation
Patients who are accepted as candidates for
transplantation are encouraged to explore the
option of living
donor transplantation. This procedure may
facilitate your surgery and your post-transplant
drug therapy, and is expected to result in higher
rate of long-term survival and potential cure
of the disease. All transplant candidates are
followed closely by our multidisciplinary liver
cancer team with regular scans and blood tests.
Since time is of the essence in patients with
cancer, transplant physicians at Penn explore
every possible option to obtain livers as soon
as possible, including the use of expanded donors
and living donors.
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