Medknow Publications on behalf of Association of Surgeons of India
Abstract
The treatment options for primary hepatic cancer are many.
Unfortunately, the long-term results and outcomes are far from
satisfactory. Indeed, there are some doctors who would consider liver
cancer to be a malignancy fit only for either palliative treatment or
alternative forms of medicine. Despite liver surgery being synonymous
with higher than the standard surgical morbidity and mortality, one
must point out that it is the surgical options that offer any real
chance of long-term survival and must always be considered first.
Surgery forms the mainstay of the treatment of liver cancer. As the
results of hepatic surgery have improved, specialist centres have been
emboldened to undertake major and even supra-major resections. Major
liver surgery is presently associated with a 0-5 % mortality risk.1
This article deals with the theme of conservation in hepatic cancer. It
is for this reason that the major surgical procedures and their details
have not been discussed here
