any hope for a cure

[idobelieveinfairies]

I am a breast cancer survivor and a long time poster from the breast cancer forum. My brother was diagnosed with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma last week. He also has cirosissis and Hep C. Is there any hope for treatment? I know it can't be cured. How long does he have to live (approximately)? Any facilities that specialize in this type of cancer? Thank you all in advance.

[idobelieveinfairies]

Thank you so much.

[Fernando Roque, MD]

Hi.  I'm sorry to hear about your brother.  What complicates your brother's condition is the fact that the doctors have to deal with two other serious conditions - Hepatitis C and cirrhosis - besides the cancer.  Patients with untreated hepatocellular carcinoma only live for about 8-12 months, but this may be prolonged to 2-3 years with treatment.  Treatment options include radiofrequency ablation and chemo-embolization (for tumors less than 5 cm in diameter).  For more advanced cases, systemic chemotherapy (example: gemcitabine) may be attempted. There is a promising new drug, Sunitinib, which has recently been demonstrated to be active for this type of cancer.  Treatment for the hepatitis C in the form of interferon and lamivudine, may have to be given as well.  Any of the big cancer centers (example: MD Anderson) have adequate facilities for handling these cases.