The percentage of Americans developing liver cancer has been rising slowly for several decades. According to the American Cancer Society, liver cancer incidence rates have more than tripled since 1980, and death rates have more than doubled.
Several risk factors, including cirrhosis, hepatitis B or hepatitis C, obesity, type 2 diabetes, etc., and an increase in unhealthy lifestyle choices, are being attributed to the rise of liver cancer.
The liver is the largest internal organ in the human body and one of the most vital to life, so it is important to keep it healthy and disease-free. It is responsible for over 500 functions, including the secretion of glucose, proteins, vitamins, and fats; the production of bile; the processing of hemoglobin; and detoxification of numerous substances.
Treating liver cancer with radiation therapy can sometimes be a challenge because liver tumors move with respiration. In addition, the tissue surrounding the liver tumors is very sensitive and can be easily damaged.
At Reno CyberKnife, we treat liver cancer with a special type of radiation therapy called radiosurgery using the CyberKnife® System. The system’s ability to treat tumors with precisely focused radiation offers an important advantage for liver cancer patients. Accurate to within less than a millimeter, radiosurgery has minimal effect on surrounding healthy tissue. This level of accuracy enables doctors to target liver tumors with high-dose radiation, which significantly reduces the number of treatments needed, usually between three and five over several days compared to 30-40 over several weeks required for other radiation therapy systems. Treatments are quick and effective, and there are little to no side effects or recovery time.
For more information on liver cancer and how we treat it using CyberKnife technology, please contact Reno CyberKnife today.