Advancing Research Offers Hope for Patients With Liver Cancer

As October marks Liver Cancer Awareness Month, experts highlight encouraging progress in treatment and research.

Dr. Anjana Pillai, professor of medicine and surgery and leader of multiple liver programs at UChicago Medicine, explained that although a diagnosis of liver cancer can be incredibly difficult, there is reason for hope — especially as research continues to advance.

If liver cancer is detected early, patients have more treatment paths to consider than ever before. Even in more advanced cases, Pillai noted that treatment options have expanded significantly for both hepatocellular carcinoma and cholangiocarcinoma. Clinical trials are increasing, therapies are evolving and new drug types — including systemic and local regional options — are being actively explored.

Pillai emphasized that continued momentum in research and treatment development offers optimism for patients living with or beyond liver cancer today.

Transcript

What gives you specifically hope for patients living with or beyond liver cancer today?

Yeah, you know what I tell everyone, let's just acknowledge this sucks, right? You can't sugarcoat what it is, but if we're lucky enough to find it early, then I say, “OK, here are all our options.” And these are so many more options than we ever had. If we're not lucky and we found it more advanced, again, like I said, there are so many more treatments than ever before, and especially in both cancers, HCC and cholangiocarcinoma, the number of trials and treatments for these cancers have really exploded.

So as horrible as it is to have cancer and to deal with all the emotional and mental distress of it and the physical distress of liver disease, it is a time where research is really peaking and continues to, and where clinical trials are continuing, and more and more drugs are, being explored, and even different types, not just when I say therapies, not just systemic therapy, but local regional therapies and other types of options.

Transcript has been edited for clarity and conciseness.

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