The Liver and Cancer

The liver is one of the largest organs in the body and is essential for general health. The liver removes harmful material from the blood, aids in digestion of food and converts food into nutrients for a healthy and active life. However, cancer can severely impair the liver's ability to perform these crucial functions, and often times when cancer originates in or spreads to the liver, the tumors in the liver can lead to death. When cancer originates in the liver it is called primary liver cancer. Cancer that has spread to the liver from other parts of the body is called secondary, or metastatic, cancer in the liver. Colorectal cancer and uveal melanoma are examples of cancers that start in one part of the body and frequently metastasize to the liver. An estimated 245,000 new cases of liver cancer are diagnosed yearly in the US, nearly 225,000 of which are metastatic cancers.

Existing Treatments and Clinical Trials

At this time, cancer in the liver can be cured only by surgery, before it has spread to other parts of the body and assuming that the patient is healthy enough to have an operation. Treatments other than surgery may be able to control the growth of the disease and help patients live longer and feel better, but cancer of the liver is very hard to control with current treatments. For that reason, many doctors encourage patients with liver cancer to consider taking part in a clinical trial. Clinical trials are research studies testing new and innovative treatments that provide an alternative to existing therapies.

Who may participate in these studies?

Patients who have primary liver cancer, neuroendocrine liver tumors, or adenocarcinomas of the liver can seek enrollment in the phase II study. The phase III study, (NCI Featured Trial on page 8) is for patients with melanoma (cutaneous or uveal) that has metastasized to the liver. For more about patient participation please contact: