The treatment of primary hepatocellular carcinoma is most effective with radical resection. For patients with hepatocellular carcinoma that cannot be resected, do not meet the indications for surgery or are too weak to tolerate surgical treatment, a combination of surgical or non-surgical treatments can be used to shrink the tumor and then perform a 2-stage or 2-step resection, or can achieve the goal of slowing tumor development and prolonging survival.
Some types of small hepatocellular carcinoma can be cured by local treatment with various nonsurgical methods. When advanced patients cannot tolerate various treatments, they should focus on liver preservation, improvement of systemic conditions, and symptomatic management to reduce pain and improve quality of life. The conservative treatment for advanced patients often uses Chinese medicine to achieve the purpose of reducing patients’ pain, controlling the growth and spread of liver cancer cells, prolonging patients’ lives and improving their quality of life.