Treatment of stage 4 liver cancer in Germany

23.03.2021 | from Booking Health GmbH | Diagnosis & treatment

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Liver cancer mostly develops between the ages of 50 and 65. It is less common than other malignant tumors. It ranks 5th in terms of incidence rates among men and 8th among women. In 75% of cases, the disease is detected at the advanced stages, most of which are treated with radical surgery. Nowadays, Germany is actively developing and applying more effective therapeutic methods that allow achieving excellent results even in patients with stage 4 pathology.

Content

Standard treatment methods for liver cancer and their disadvantages
Innovative treatment methods for stage 4 liver cancer in Germany
Benefits of stage 4 liver cancer treatment in Germany
How to undergo treatment in Germany?

Standard treatment methods for liver cancer and their disadvantages

Stage 4 liver cancer can be diagnosed in case of spread of abnormal cells in distant organs, or in case of tumor invasion into other abdominal organs. Classic treatment at this stage involves radiation therapy, chemotherapy and/or surgical removal of the neoplasm.

However, the last ones have a number of disadvantages:

Surgical interventions are traumatic and require long-term recovery
Chemotherapy drugs and radiation therapy negatively affect cells in the whole body, thereby reducing general immunity
All methods are aimed at tumor growth cessation, but not at the treatment
Standard methods are ineffective and do not always increase life expectancy

It is worth noting that in many cases of stage 4 liver cancer surgery is contraindicated. Moreover, cancer cells often have low sensitivity to chemotherapy. That is why more and more patients go for treatment to German hospitals, which can offer innovative treatment methods.

Innovative treatment methods for stage 4 liver cancer in Germany

German hospitals successfully use sparing treatment methods for malignant tumors, which do not require thoracotomy. The most effective of them are embolization, ablation and immunotherapy.

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Embolization of metastases

Embolization is a low-traumatic operation, the purpose of which is to block the blood vessels feeding the tumor. As a result, cancer cells stop receiving nutrients and die soon. In Germany, two main types of embolization are commonly used for liver cancer: chemoembolization and radioembolization.

Transarterial chemoembolization is the most common procedure, combining two treatment methods: embolization and local chemotherapy. The use of this procedure for stage 4 liver cancer involves arterial lumen closure using microspheres containing chemotherapy drugs. They are gradually released over several weeks, create a high concentration of drugs in the hepatic parenchyma and inhibit the growth of the neoplasms. After the procedure, the primary tumor can decrease in size by several times, and sometimes by tens of times. Unlike standard chemotherapy for stage 4 liver cancer, the patient does not experience any side effects after chemoembolization.

This method has the following advantages:

Chemoembolization is effective not only for primary, but also for metastatic liver cancer (develops as a result of tumors in other organs). The second type is the most common – it occurs 20-30 times more often than primary cancer. The tumors in the bowel, stomach, pancreas, ovaries and other organs located outside the abdominal cavity can spread to the liver. They can be removed surgically in only 15% of patients. In other cases the specialists use other treatment methods, including chemoembolization.
The treatment is safe as the liver has a blood supply from two sources. The healthy parenchyma receives 70% of its blood supply from the portal vein and 30% from the hepatic artery. At the same time, a malignant tumor receives up to 95% of its blood from the hepatic artery. Therefore, its closure with emboli saturated with chemotherapy drugs provides a targeted effect on cancer cells. Although liver function can also decrease, the procedure does not lead to critical health consequences.
Previously, chemoembolization in the treatment of liver cancer was carried out only with preserved organ function in order to avoid complications, but now German hospitals use hepatoprotectors (drugs to protect the liver) of the latest generation, which allow performing the procedure even for patients with liver failure.
Transarterial chemoembolization is absolutely safe and does not cause any complications. Uncomfortable sensations can occur only in the first few days after the operation and they can be easily eliminated with the help of drugs.

The radioembolization technique differs from chemoembolization in that the microspheres are saturated not with drugs, but with radioactive substances. It has been used as a treatment option for inoperable liver cancer since 2016.

Ablation

Ablation is the destruction of cancer tissue using various types of energy or chemicals (alcohol, acetic acid). The procedure is usually combined with chemoembolization and other treatment methods for liver cancer.

Until recently, the most popular procedure was radiofrequency ablation, which involved the insertion of a probe into the liver tissue, its heating and destruction of metastatic neoplasms. However, German hospitals increasingly use microwave ablation. This is a more progressive technique with several advantages. It appeared simultaneously with radiofrequency ablation, but could not be introduced into clinical practice for technical reasons. Rather compact devices for microwave ablation appeared only a few years ago. They can be inserted into the tumor through a puncture in the abdomen. The essence of the technique is that an antenna, which emits electromagnetic energy, is used to heat the tumor.

This method has the following advantages:

Local use of high temperatures without affecting the healthy tissues
Procedure is performed in just a few minutes
Neoplasms up to 8 cm can be destroyed
Microwaves can easily penetrate even charred or dehydrated areas
Microwave ablation destroys neoplasms at a distance of 1 cm from large blood vessels or bile ducts
Possibility of destroying several metastases simultaneously (by simultaneous use of several antennas)

In some German hospitals, doctors have begun using another type of ablation to destroy liver tumors, namely, high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU). Its advantage is that the method does not require a surgical intervention.

Additional effect of embolization and ablation techniques

It is interesting that ablation and embolization of the hepatic artery leads to the elimination of not only the tumor in the liver, but also of its distant metastases. The fact is that during the procedures, cancer cells die in large numbers. In this case, a large number of the so-called "danger signals" – damage-associated molecular-pattern molecules (DAMPs), as well as specific antigens of tumor cells are released. The immune system reacts to them, which stimulates both local and general immune responses. As a result, the body copes with most of the cancer cells on its own.

Immunotherapy

Immunotherapy is a new treatment method for stage 4 liver cancer, which consists in stimulating the immune response thanks to specific drugs – checkpoint inhibitors. This treatment method is based on the influence on particular receptors of cancer cells, which help the tumor to avoid an immune response. If their activity is suppressed, the immune system will be able to detect pathological cells and to resist their development.

Two drugs from checkpoint inhibitors are currently approved for stage 4 cancer. They can be used as adjunctive therapy after other procedures for the treatment of liver cancer.

Some hospitals abroad are already using drugs, which block the cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated antigen 4 (CTLA-4). The trials demonstrated a good effect of these drugs: disease control was achieved in more than 75% of patients. Another immune checkpoint inhibitor drug targets PD-1 proteins. During the trials, it showed a response in 60% of patients. In a half of the patients, the use of PD-1 inhibitors allows the doctors to control the disease for 15 months or more.

Benefits of stage 4 liver cancer treatment in Germany

Liver cancer treatment in Europe offers the following benefits for patients:

German hospitals have all progressive treatment methods, which allow the doctors to achieve long-term control of the disease in many patients
Oncology hospitals have only the best and the most modern equipment, which will ensure the accuracy of all procedures
Specialists from various fields of oncology undergo long-term training and receive qualifications, which allow them to implement all modern treatment methods in practice
European hospitals are fully equipped for a comfortable stay of patients

How to undergo treatment in Germany?

To undergo treatment for stage 4 liver cancer in the best oncology hospitals in Germany, you can use the services of Booking Health. If you contact us, you will get qualified assistance and save time, because it is not easy to organize your own treatment in Germany. We can help you to take care of the following things within a short period of time:

Selection of the best medical center for your diagnostics and treatment of stage 4 liver cancer based on the annual reports
Preparation of the diagnostic and treatment program taking into account previous examinations
Provision of a favorable cost of treatment and other services provided by the hospital, without any extra charges and coefficients for foreign patients (saving up to 50%)
Doctor's appointment on the desired date
Control of the medical program at all its stages
Assistance in buying and forwarding medicines
Communication with the hospital after treatment completion
Monitoring of invoices and return of unspent funds
Organization of additional diagnostic examinations
Booking hotels, airline tickets, transfer, interpreting services

To get professional help from the specialist of Booking Health and find out prices, please leave your request on our official website.

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