Be A Fighter- Treatment Options
While we hope that no one ever has to go through the pain and stress of having cancer, unfortunately sometimes these things do happen. Do not be discouraged, there are treatment options available.
Specific treatment for Hepatobiliary cancer will be determined by your physician based on:
- Age, overall health, and medical history
- Extent of the disease
- Cause of the disease
- Tolerance for specific medications, procedures, or therapies
- Expectations for the course of the disease
- Opinion or preference
Treatment may include:
Surgery
1Surgery may be necessary to remove cancerous tissue, as well as nearby non-cancerous tissue. Surgery may also be used to relieve blockage of the bile duct to palliate or relieve symptoms.
Stent placement
2A thin tube, called a stent, may be placed in the bile duct to help drain bile that builds up in the area. The stent helps to bypass the blockage that causes symptoms such as pain or yellow eyes and skin, called jaundice. A stent may be placed temporarily until surgery is performed to remove the tumor, or a permanent stent may be placed.
Radiation
3Radiation is a treatment that precisely sends high levels of radiation directly to the cancer cells. Since radiation is used to kill cancer cells and to shrink tumors, special shields may be used to protect the tissue surrounding the treatment area. Radiation treatments are painless and usually last a few minutes. Radiation therapy may be given after surgery, to kill small areas of cancer that may not be seen during surgery, or instead of surgery. Radiation may also be used to ease (palliate) symptoms such as pain, bleeding, or blockage.
Chemotherapy
4Chemotherapy is the use of anti-cancer drugs to treat cancerous cells. In most cases, chemotherapy works by interfering with the cancer cell’s ability to grow or reproduce. Different groups of drugs work in different ways to fight cancer cells..
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