title: Advances in non-surgical management of primary liver cancer.
abstract: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the fifth most common cancer and the third most common cause of cancer-related death worldwide. There have been great improvements in the diagnosis and treatment of HCC in recent years, but the problems, including difficult diagnosis at early stage, quick progression, and poor prognosis remain unsolved. Surgical resection is the mainstay of the treatment for HCC. However, 70%-80% of HCC patients are diagnosed at an advanced stage when most are ineligible for potentially curative therapies such as surgical resection and liver transplantation. In recent years, non-surgical management for unrespectable HCC, such as percutaneous ethanol injection, percutaneous microwave coagulation therapy, percutaneous radiofrequency ablation, transcatheter arterial chemoembolization, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, biotherapy, and hormonal therapy have been developed. These therapeutic options, either alone or in combination, have been shown to control tumor growth, prolong survival time, and improve quality of life to some extent. This review covers the current status and progress of non-surgical management for HCC.
authors.affiliation: Xiao Chen, Hai-Peng Liu, Mei Li, Department of General Surgery, Lanzhou University Second Hospital, Lanzhou 730030, Gansu Province, China.
authors.forename: Xiao
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Xiao Chen, Hai-Peng Liu, Mei Li, Department of General Surgery, Lanzhou University Second Hospital, Lanzhou 730030, Gansu Province, China.
authors.forename: Hai-Peng
authors.initials: HP
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Xiao Chen, Hai-Peng Liu, Mei Li, Department of General Surgery, Lanzhou University Second Hospital, Lanzhou 730030, Gansu Province, China.
authors.forename: Mei
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Xiao Chen, Hai-Peng Liu, Mei Li, Department of General Surgery, Lanzhou University Second Hospital, Lanzhou 730030, Gansu Province, China.
authors.forename: Liang
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Qiao
mesh_terms: D055011:Ablation Techniques / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000639:trends*; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D016461:Chemoembolization, Therapeutic / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000639:trends*; D006801:Humans; D007167:Immunotherapy; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D058990:Molecular Targeted Therapy; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D018579:Patient Selection; D011878:Radiotherapy; D012307:Risk Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents
keywords: Ablation therapy; Biotherapy; Chemotherapy; Hepatocellular carcinoma; Hormonal therapy; Percutaneous ethanol injection; Percutaneous microwave coagulation therapy; Radiofrequency ablation; Radiotherapy; Transcatheter arterial chemoembolization