Liver Cancers and Liver Tumors
Liver cancer is a disease in which cancerous cells form in the liver, an organ that plays a major role in digestion, metabolism and detoxification in the human body. These cancerous cells do not function normally and may divide uncontrollably, crowding out healthy liver cancer cells and possibly invading other organs in the body.
Here [at City of Hope], there is one mission: It is treatment of cancer patients to make them no longer cancer patients but recovering individuals that are going back to their families.
– Yuman Fong, M.D., chair, Department of Surgery
Approximately 42,000 adults (nearly 29,000 men and 13,000 women) in the United States will be diagnosed with liver cancer this year.
There are currently no screening guidelines for liver cancer since screenings haven't been shown to lower the risk of dying from liver cancer. However, your physician may recommend more active monitoring if you are at a high risk of developing this disease.
City of Hope has one of the most renowned liver cancer programs in the United States, with medical experts across different fields — including surgery, radiation oncology, medical oncology and supportive care medicine.
Our patients have access to liver cancer clinical trials, including new chemotherapy, targeted and hormone therapies, surgical techniques, radiation approaches, and prevention strategies.
At City of Hope, liver cancer clinicians and researchers collaborate extensively to develop and evaluate new therapies for better survival and quality-of-life outcomes.
When you come to City of Hope, you automatically gain access to an unparalleled array of support services to help you and your loved ones take each step during and after liver cancer treatment.
Our Expertise
- A patient-centered treatment approach guided by your unique needs and background, including molecular and genetic testing of your cancer to find the most effective therapies
- Our leadership, innovation and experience in minimally invasive and complex surgeries for liver cancer — with one of the best track records for safety and long-term outcomes
- Advanced technology and expertise minimally invasive, robotically assisted surgeries that can reduce discomfort, blood loss and recovery times for liver cancer patients, with some being able to go home within 24 hours after the operation
- Needle- and catheter-based therapies, such as ablation and radioembolization that can treat liver tumors effectively without major incisions
- Experience in hepatic arterial infusion (HAI), which delivers cancer-fighting drugs directly to the tumor site for greater effectiveness
- A comprehensive portfolio of drugs that can fight cancer better with fewer side effects, including targeted therapy and immunotherapy that attacks liver cancer cells with greater accuracy
- Targeted radiation therapy delivery that can focus on liver tumors while sparing healthy liver tissue, allowing the treatment to destroy the tumor completely or shrink it small enough for surgical removal
- Access to a wide range of clinical trials that may be more effective against liver cancer and less harmful to the patient; many of these promising therapies are only available to City of Hope patients
- Supportive care services to address a wide range of disease- and treatment-related concerns
City of Hope is one of the few facilities designated a comprehensive cancer center by the National Cancer Institute.
Our developments in the areas of breakthrough cancer drugs, bone marrow transplants and CAR T cell therapy are recognized internationally.
Our leadership in research and innovation continually enhances our ability to provide novel and differentiated approaches to cancer care.