Despite surgical advances, not all liver tumors can be removed completely through an operation. Some tumors are simply too large or widespread throughout the liver or have recurred after prior surgery. You may also have other health conditions that preclude you from undergoing liver surgery.
Ablation therapies can be a beneficial alternative, offering:
- a curative option
- extended survival
- improved quality of life
With ablation therapies, a surgeon or an interventional radiologist inserts a probe directly into the tumor or tumors. The probes use various energy sources such as radio waves, microwaves or electricity to generate heat high enough to kill the cancer cells. Or, the probes inject alcohol or deliver a freezing agent to kill cancer cells. These probes reach the tumor through tiny incisions (laparoscopic) or through the skin (percutaneous). Roswell Park offers the following ablation therapies for liver tumors:
- Microwave Ablation uses microwaves to generate the necessary heat.
- Cryoablation uses cold to freeze and destroy the cancer cells.
- Percutaneous Ethanol (Alcohol) Injection delivers a toxic dose of alcohol to the cancer cells.
Histotripsy offers noninvasive option
This new type of ablation therapy uses high intensity sound waves to destroy tumors in the liver. No incisions or probes are needed and the procedure can be repeated. Rather than using heat or cold to kill the cancer cells, the sound waves cause gas bubbles in the tumor tissue to rapidly expand and contract, pulling the cells apart.