What are the auxiliary treatment methods for preventing recurrence of liver cancer after surgery

More than half of patients will experience cumulative recurrence within 5 years after radical resection of liver cancer, so preventing recurrence is very important. The purpose of adjuvant therapy after liver cancer surgery is to reduce the risk of postoperative recurrence.

Hepatic artery chemoembolization is the main auxiliary treatment after surgery. However, hepatic artery chemoembolization itself has a certain degree of damage to liver function. Therefore, there is controversy at home and abroad on whether auxiliary hepatic artery chemoembolization should be used after radical surgery for liver cancer. Now it is generally believed that for patients with a high risk of postoperative recurrence, 1 to 2 hepatic artery chemoembolization should be performed. If it is a small liver cancer, there is no vascular invasion, and it is a single nodule, it is not necessary to perform auxiliary hepatic artery chemoembolization after surgery, especially for those small liver cancers with more severe cirrhosis. Hepatic artery chemoembolization should be used with caution after surgery.

Clinical trial results have confirmed that the use of interferon after radical surgery can reduce the recurrence rate after surgery. The adverse reactions of interferon are relatively small and most patients can tolerate it. It usually takes 1 to 2 years to use. Current studies have shown that if a protein called P48 is positive in the liver cancer specimens removed after surgery, the effect of interferon use is better.

At present, it is generally not recommended to give systemic chemotherapy after surgery, because liver cancer is not sensitive to traditional chemotherapy drugs. There is no evidence that systemic chemotherapy is effective in preventing postoperative recurrence, and systemic chemotherapy has serious adverse reactions. For patients after liver cancer resection, it may do more harm than good.