Can I still have surgery if liver cancer recurs? There are four major misunderstandings

Can surgery be performed if liver cancer recurs? Due to the high incidence of hepatitis B in my country, liver cancer has become one of the most common malignant tumors. However, there are no obvious symptoms in the early stage of liver cancer, and many patients miss the best treatment time, which affects the treatment effect. Therefore, the general public has formed the wrong concept that "having liver cancer is a death sentence". Some patients who could have improved their quality of life, prolonged their survival time, or even been cured have given up treatment due to lack of confidence. So, can surgery be performed if liver cancer recurs?

In recent years, liver surgery technology has developed rapidly, and treatment methods are rich and diverse. Doctors will choose the best treatment method according to the patient's specific situation. For liver cancer with a diameter of less than 5 cm, the 5-year survival rate of patients after surgery has reached about 80%, and there are also many patients who survive for 10 or 20 years. Now we will take stock of the common misunderstandings in the surgical treatment of liver cancer.

Myth 1: Huge liver cancer cannot be operated on

Whether liver cancer can be surgically removed requires comprehensive consideration of the local tumor condition, liver function, and the patient's overall condition, and is not determined simply by the size of the tumor. In fact, as long as it is predicted that a sufficient volume of effective liver can be preserved and the patient's ability to tolerate surgery is good, even a huge tumor close to a large blood vessel can be safely removed surgically.

Myth 2: Metastatic liver cancer cannot be treated with surgery

The liver is a common metastatic organ for many malignant tumors, especially gastrointestinal primary cancers. In the past, it was believed that once a tumor metastasized to the liver, it meant that the patient had reached an advanced stage and had lost the opportunity for surgical treatment. However, today, the treatment strategy for liver metastasis has undergone a revolutionary change.

Once liver metastases are discovered, many patients can be completely removed through simultaneous surgery or staged surgery. Even if liver metastases are too large or have too many metastatic lesions to be surgically removed at the first evaluation, neoadjuvant chemotherapy and other tumor downstaging methods can be used to shrink the tumor first and then perform surgical resection after it meets the surgical criteria.

Myth 3: Recurrent liver cancer cannot be treated with surgery

Although the recurrence of liver cancer after surgery indicates a poor outcome, it is not incurable. If the correct scientific and reasonable treatment methods are selected, good treatment effects can still be achieved, including alcohol injection, microwave, cryosurgery, radiofrequency, hepatic artery and portal vein dual perfusion chemotherapy, liver transplantation, re-surgical resection, etc. Re-surgical resection of recurrent liver cancer can effectively improve the long-term survival rate after liver cancer treatment.

At present, with the development of liver tumor surgical techniques and the application of combined targeted drugs, as well as the progress of tumor treatment concepts, the pessimistic concept of "recurrent liver cancer should not be reoperated" has been completely abandoned. Data show that the productivity of recurrent liver cancer can reach 53.2% within 5 years after resection.

Myth 4: Surgery is the only treatment for liver cancer

Of course, many patients know that surgery carries certain risks, but there is no need to worry. The treatment of liver cancer has evolved from the single surgical resection in the past to a multidisciplinary comprehensive treatment including transhepatic arterial chemoembolization, intratumoral anhydrous ethanol injection, ablation therapy (radio frequency, microwave, cryotherapy), radiotherapy, molecular targeted therapy, internal radiotherapy, etc.