Which liver cancer patients are suitable for radiotherapy?

Radiotherapy is one of the main treatments for liver cancer. If used reasonably, it can greatly improve the efficacy of liver cancer treatment. However, radiotherapy has relatively large side effects. Only when used correctly and reasonably can the advantages of radiotherapy be brought into play and the patient's survival time be prolonged.

Radiation therapy is mainly used for the following liver cancer patients:

1. For liver cancer patients who are unable to receive radical treatments such as resection surgery or local radiofrequency ablation, if the cancer site is relatively localized, especially if the cancer is located in the hilar area, local radiotherapy can be considered.

2. For patients with liver cancer who have undergone hepatic artery embolization chemotherapy but cannot be completely embolized due to blood supply problems and the tumor is still alive, and who are not suitable for surgical resection or local ablation treatment, local radiotherapy can be considered according to their condition.

3. For patients with liver cancer whose liver lesions are well controlled but whose portal vein cancer thrombus or inferior vena cava cancer thrombus cannot be controlled, local radiotherapy can be performed on the cancer thrombus.

4. For patients with hepatocellular carcinoma and abdominal lymph node metastasis, radiotherapy can significantly improve lymph node compression symptoms such as obstructive jaundice and back pain, and prolong survival.

5. Patients with hepatocellular carcinoma and renal metastasis can use radiotherapy to relieve pain, reduce the chance of pathological fractures (especially paraplegia), and thus improve the quality of life of patients. However, there is currently no evidence to show that such patients can prolong their survival through radiotherapy.