About Liver Cancer Treatment
Liver cancer is managed by a team that usually includes a hepatobiliary surgeon, a medical oncologist, an interventional radiologist and a hepatologist. Treatment depends not only on the tumour but on how well the rest of the liver is working, which is why liver function tests carry so much weight here.
This guide explains what the hospital assesses and what to ask. It is background reading, not medical advice.
Two things are assessed, not one
Most primary liver cancer arises in a liver already affected by chronic disease such as hepatitis B, hepatitis C or cirrhosis. The hospital therefore stages the tumour and separately grades the health of the remaining liver. A tumour that would be removable in a healthy liver may not be in a cirrhotic one.
Cancer that has spread to the liver from elsewhere, most often from the bowel, is a different situation and is treated according to where it started.
What the hospital needs before it can plan
A triple-phase CT or MRI of the liver on disc, alpha-fetoprotein levels, liver function tests, hepatitis serology, and any biopsy report. Previous treatment records if you have been treated elsewhere.
Treatment approaches
Resection
The affected part of the liver is removed. This depends on tumour position and on enough healthy liver remaining to function afterwards.
Liver transplant
Considered in selected cases where the tumour meets specific criteria and the underlying liver is failing. In India this follows the Transplantation of Human Organs and Tissues Act, and donor eligibility is reviewed by the hospital's authorisation committee before any travel is planned. Ask about this early, because it governs the timeline.
Local and interventional treatments
Radiofrequency or microwave ablation destroys small tumours with heat. Transarterial chemoembolisation and radioembolisation deliver treatment through the artery feeding the tumour. These are often used where resection is not suitable.
Systemic therapy
Targeted drugs and immunotherapy are used in advanced disease, usually taken over months.
Questions worth asking the treating hospital
Is this primary liver cancer or spread from elsewhere? What is the condition of the rest of my liver, and how does that limit the options? Is resection possible, and if not, why? Is transplant being considered, and what does the authorisation process involve? How long is the expected stay?
Ask the hospital for its own case volumes and outcomes for liver surgery and, if relevant, transplant.
How Massvaa Care helps
We share your reports with the oncology teams at partner hospitals, return their written plan and itemised estimate on hospital letterhead, and coordinate the visa invitation, arrival and accommodation. We do not give medical opinions and we do not take a share of your treatment cost. You pay the hospital directly.
Any range quoted before the tumour board has reviewed your case is indicative only. Cancer costs vary widely with stage, subtype and the number of cycles, so the hospital's written estimate is the figure to rely on.
