Radiation Therapy for Liver Cancer

Radiation therapy uses high-energy x-rays or other types of radiation to kill cancer cells. Radiation therapy is used after surgery to help prevent the liver cancer from coming back (recurring) or to help treat symptoms. It can be given internally or externally:

• Internal radiation therapy (brachytherapy or interstitial radiation therapy) - Tiny pellets (or “seeds”) that contain radioactive materials are injected into your bloodstream and guided to the hepatic artery. Tumor blood vessels are smaller than the blood vessels of healthy tissue. As a result, the seeds get stuck in the small blood cells that feed the tumors; however, they pass right through the larger blood vessels that feed healthy liver tissue. The pellets release their radiation slowly into the tumor without damaging healthy tissue. Brachytherapy lets the doctor use a higher dose of radiation than EBRT. This type of treatment involves a one-time procedure.
• External beam radiation therapy (EBRT) - Radiation from a high-energy x-ray machine (linear accelerator) outside the body is focused on the cancer cells. EBRT can harm both the cancer cells and nearby healthy tissue. Most people are treated with EBRT for a few minutes 5 days a week for 3 to 5 weeks as an outpatient. This technique is rarely used for liver cancer.

This content has been reviewed and approved by Myo Thant, MD.