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Primary Liver Cancer: Innovative Treatments, Multi-Disciplinary Approach

If you’re seeking a physician who specializes in primary liver cancer, you’ll be hard-pressed to find one more knowledgeable or passionate about this disease than Brian I. Carr, MD, FRCP, PhD.

Brian I. Carr, MD, FRCP, PhD

Dr. Carr has devoted most of his career to this disease, which is the fifth-most common form of cancer but the third-most common cause of death from cancer worldwide. He recently joined Jefferson’s Kimmel Cancer Center – making his experience and expertise available to Delaware Valley patients who have been diagnosed with primary liver cancer, also known as hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) or hepatoma.

And through Dr. Carr’s collaboration with other leading experts at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, patients now have access not only to innovative therapies, but also to a multi-disciplinary team of world-class specialists.

Cutting-edge treatment options
As Dr. Carr explains, Kimmel Cancer Center now offers the area’s broadest array of treatment options that includes established approaches (such as liver transplant, liver resection and radiofrequency ablation), as well as these innovative therapies:

• Intrahepatic chemotherapy/chemoembolization, also known as transarterial chemoembolization (TACE). As Dr. Carr explains, this treatment is the process of injecting chemotherapy drugs into the artery that supplies blood to the tumor in the liver. “The artery is then blocked off with tiny particles – protecting healthy tissue while depriving the tumor of its blood supply,” he says.

• ⁹⁰Yttrium microspheres (TheraSpheres, SIR-Spheres). Dr. Carr was one of the developers of this revolutionary treatment – which delivers radiation directly to liver tumors via microscopic beads. “Just one-third the diameter of a human hair, each bead is embedded with a radioactive element called ⁹⁰Yttrium,” says Dr. Carr, who has personally overseen this treatment on 150 patients to date.

• Cell growth control and anti-angiogenesis therapy. “We’re evaluating the use of the new cell-cycle and angiogenesis inhibitors in the management of primary liver cancer,” notes Dr. Carr. “We’re using these agents as both standalone therapy and in combination with chemotherapy or radiotherapy.” Another option: K vitamins, which Dr. Carr says are emerging as a non-toxic new oral treatment for HCC.

Multidisciplinary team
Just as important as the treatments available is Kimmel Cancer Center’s multi-disciplinary approach.

“At KCC, medical oncologists and experts in gene expression profiling work closely with each other and with other specialists from Jefferson,” Dr. Carr notes.

In addition, there is a Liver Tumor Board that includes liver surgeons, radiologists, radiation oncologists, pathologists and hepatologists and meets to review and make recommendations for each patient’s case.

“Together, we offer a truly multidisciplinary approach to diagnosing, treating and following up on liver cancer,” Dr. Carr says.

For more information
For in-depth information about primary liver cancer – including more details on the treatments and related services available through Jefferson’s Kimmel Cancer Center – visit the team’s website.

Make an appointment with a Jefferson physician online or by calling 1-800-JEFF-NOW.