This is an automatically translated article.
The article is professionally consulted by - Master, Resident, Specialist I Trinh Le Hong Minh - Department of Diagnostic Imaging - Vinmec Central Park International General Hospital.
There are many different treatment methods for liver cancer and depending on the patient's condition, the doctor will recommend the most suitable treatment course. In which, using radiopharmaceuticals to treat liver cancer by injecting directly into cancer cells is evaluated as a method with many advantages and few complications.
1. Signs to recognize liver cancer
Liver cancer is considered the third leading cause of death after stomach cancer and lung cancer. Like any disease, liver cancer also has signs of disease in the early stages, the signs are as follows:
Dark urine due to impaired liver function leads to increased bilirubin in the blood Bloating, bloating due to fluid accumulation in the abdomen, you may feel full even if you have not eaten anything. Abdominal cramps and pain and need to use pain relievers to relieve. Itching is caused by high levels of bilirubin in the blood, which is the main cause of itchy skin. Fatigue is persistent and does not stop whether you work lightly or do not work at all. Prolonged fatigue is the first sign that you may have liver cancer. Jaundice is not a disease, but it is a sign of liver-related diseases, especially liver cancer. Abdominal fluid appears in patients with early stage liver cancer, the patient shows symptoms. such as heartburn, flatulence. Many people are often subjective with these symptoms because it is similar to the symptoms of diseases related to the stomach. Weight loss, loss of appetite, patients lose weight quickly.
2. Treatment of liver cancer with radiopharmaceuticals
Currently, there are many popular treatment methods for liver cancer such as surgery to remove part of the liver or liver transplant, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, drug injection into the tumor...
2.1 Advantages In addition to the above methods, scanning and radiopharmaceutical injection in the treatment of liver cancer is evaluated as a modern method. This is a cancer treatment method that has many advantages as follows:
Has a high ability to destroy tumors without causing too much invasiveness, causing fewer complications and complications for patients. Can be used for cancer treatment There is no indication for radical surgery in primary and secondary liver disease. Can be used to treat liver cancer with vascular invasion of the liver.
2.2 Disadvantages However, this method also has some limitations as follows:
The cost of this method is quite high compared to other treatment methods. To implement this method, it requires the coordination of many specialists. department Not all hospitals have the necessary technical means to perform. 2.3 Contraindications Peak The main radiopharmaceutical for liver cancer treatment is Yttrium-90. After injecting Yttrium-90 into the blood vessels feeding the tumor, the isotope of this drug emits β-rays that destroy cells. cancer.
This method is contraindicated for some cases such as hepatopulmonary shunts on radiographs greater than 20%, liver cancer metastases to the lungs, bones and other organs, pregnant women, patients who have had In addition to the source of radiation therapy for liver tumor lesions, the patient has too much fluid in the abdomen.
3. Procedures for taking and injecting radiopharmaceuticals for liver cancer treatment
Before performing the procedure, the patient needs to be thoroughly explained about the procedure as well as the steps to be able to coordinate with the doctor. Patients must fast for 6 hours before the procedure, drink as little water as possible. The steps include 2 interventions, 1 week apart each time.
3.1 First time: Perform plugging of extrahepatic artery branches. Anatomical assessment of blood supply vessels to the liver and tumor by angiography of the visceral body, superior mesenteric artery with a 4-5F catheter. Then, plug the tumor's blood vessels with embolization materials, insert the catheter into the hepatic artery, inject 5-6 mCi, 99Tc, after 30 minutes, conduct scintigraphy to evaluate the radiopharmaceuticals. focus in the tumor and calculate the hepatopulmonary flow
3.2 Second time: Carrying out radioactive particle injection To get a standard formula for calculating radioisotope dose, the specialist doctor must base on 3 factors which are radiation dose, patient's condition and degree of hepatopulmonary clearance. The doctor then conducts selective threading with a microcatheter into a separate hepatic artery. Then install a radioisotope pump system and pump it into the liver parenchyma.
Vinmec International General Hospital provides customers with a package of screening and early detection of liver cancer to screen for liver cancer for people at high risk of diseases such as: alcoholics, have cirrhosis, have a family history of liver cancer, cirrhosis, hepatitis B virus infection, chronic hepatitis C,...
Service selection Package for screening and early detection of liver cancer, patients will be examined. , consulting and performing tests, diagnostic imaging to evaluate liver function, liver diseases and liver cancer screening. With a system of modern machinery and a team of highly qualified and experienced doctors, Vinmec is committed to the best protection for the health of patients.
Before taking a job at Vinmec Central Park International General Hospital, the position of Doctor of Radiology since February 2018, Doctor Trinh Le Hong Minh used to work as a resident in the Radiology Department at Vinmec Central Park. hospitals: Cho Ray, University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Oncology, People's Gia Dinh, Trung Vuong... from 2012-2015. Working officially at Cho Ray Hospital from 2015-2016, City International Hospital since 2016.
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