Modern methods of treating liver metastases abroad
Modern methods of treating liver metastases abroad, used in advanced medical and clinical institutions, can guarantee one of the highest levels of patient survival in the world.
This becomes especially relevant if we take into account the fact that, according to statistics, oncological diseases of the liver more often than others are complicated by the appearance of metastases. This pattern is determined not only by the functional features of the liver, but also by its enhanced blood supply (liver is second only to the brain and heart muscle).
Most often, metastases migrate to the liver from the primary lesions localized in the stomach, lungs, pancreas and mammary glands, as well as the small and large intestines.
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Why do liver metastases appear?
The formation of metastases in the liver is a migration along the blood and lymphatic vessels of cancer cells, followed by sedimentation in abdominal organs. Most of all, due to structural features and functioning, it is precisely the area of the liver and gall bladder that undergoes metastasis.
It is worth taking into account the ability of metastases localized in the liver to spread throughout the body, which further increases the importance of their timely detection and proper treatment.
What modern methods of treating liver metastases are used abroad?
Modern methods of treating liver metastases abroad include:
- Chemotherapy - exposure occurs by infusion of a cytostatic drug into the region of the hepatic artery. The protocol, as a rule, includes the simultaneous administration of several cytotoxic drugs or a complex of cytostatics and hormonal drugs;
- Radiological therapy - consists in irradiating tumor cells with a directed beam of radiation;
- Surgical resection - complete or partial removal of metastases, effective in the treatment of one or more tumors;
- Electrotherapy - exposure to cancer cells with a high-frequency electric current, due to which a strong local increase in temperature occurs, which in turn leads to their denaturation;
- Cryogenic therapy - used to destroy metastases up to five centimeters in size. The impact consists in directed local cooling of metastatic cells with liquid nitrogen, which leads to their rapid destruction, thereby guaranteeing thirty percent patient survival;
- Alcoholization of cells - introduction of a drug based on ethyl alcohol into the tumor body, which provokes inhibition of it's ability to grow. The effectiveness of the method is comparable to surgery;
- SIRT is an effective method to destroy cancer cells with minimal collateral damage. The essence of the method is the administration into the hepatic artery of a radioactive substance capable of gradually accumulating in cancer cells;
- Targeted therapy - the effect on cancer cells occurs by injecting angiogenesis inhibitors into the tumor body, which can significantly slow down the growth of blood vessels and, as a result, disrupt supply of tumor cells with oxygen.
Diagnosis of liver metastases abroad
To answer the question “how are liver metastases diagnosed abroad?” It is necessary to understand not only the mechanism of metastasis formation, but also to understand the nuances of generally accepted diagnostic methods. For example, in the advanced world oncological centers, the following methods are most often used:
- Ultrasound diagnostics;
- Computer and magnetic resonance therapy;
- Radioisotope research;
- Puncture of tumor cells, with its subsequent analysis.
It is worth noting that to obtain the most high-quality and detailed information, modern oncologists simultaneously use two or more diagnostic methods.
What is the cost of treatment of liver metastases abroad?
To find out the exact cost of treating liver metastases in foreign clinics is quite problematic, since there is no single tariff scale. The price of therapy depends on the complexity of the disease, the country of residence and the prestige of the clinic in which the treatment is carried out.
Average cost of treatment:
- Magnetic resonance imaging of the liver using a contrast agent - from 370 to 1900 euros;
- Liver cell biopsy - from 250 to 4400 euros;
- Liver transplantation - 318,000 to 400,000 euros.
Violetta YanyshevskaAuthor and medical editor
