What is recurrence of liver cancer?
Recurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma is when a patient has had hepatocellular carcinoma when the lesion was suitable for treatment with curative methods. After treatment, the lesion was evaluated by imaging and blood tests to be curative and the effect was stable for at least 3 to 6 months. After that, if a new liver cancer lesion appears, it is called a recurrence of liver cancer.
Curative approaches to liver cancer include liver transplantation, hepatectomy, and radiofrequency ablation.
There are many treatment options for liver cancer, and different methods each have their own indications.
What should I do if my liver cancer has recurred?
After a liver cancer lesion has been treated with curative methods, it should be followed up regularly every 2 months with the following items:
- After a liver cancer lesion has been treated with curative methods, it should be followed up regularly every 2 months with the following items:
- Related blood tests, including liver and kidney function, routine blood, coagulation, alpha-fetoprotein (AFP), carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), CA199, PIVKA, etc.;
- Liver color B-ultrasound;
- Liver MRI (enhanced) if necessary to confirm the presence of recurrent liver cancer.
When a recurrence of liver cancer is confirmed, appropriate treatment should be promptly administered.
The physician will make a comprehensive assessment based on the number, size, and location of recurrent lesions, whether there is vascular invasion, whether there are distant metastases, the patient’s liver function status and physical status, and so on, based on the assessment results to formulate an individualized treatment plan that is most suitable for the patient.