4.3.2 Radiotherapy and Chemotherapy for Liver Cancer

4.3.2 Radiotherapy and Chemotherapy for Liver Cancer

Liver cancer inherently overexpresses multidrug resistance genes, making it insensitive to chemotherapy drugs. Commonly used chemotherapy drugs for liver cancer include platinum-based drugs, fluorouracil and its derivatives, the new drug paclitaxel, anthracyclines, topotecan, gemcitabine, and others. Traditional single-drug administration often yields poor results, and even combining standard regimens has not improved efficacy, while chemotherapy brings numerous toxic side effects that patients find difficult to tolerate. In recent years, as research into the mechanisms of liver cancer has deepened, inhibitors of tumor angiogenesis—such as cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitors, vascular growth factor receptor inhibitors, and angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors—are being developed as new chemotherapy drugs to inhibit angiogenesis. There have also been improvements in how chemotherapy drugs are combined and administered. For example, reports indicate that hepatic arterial catheterization combined with radiotherapy is quite effective.

Primary liver cancer is relatively sensitive to radiation, making radiotherapy suitable for patients who are not candidates for surgery, particularly those whose tumors are too large for surgical removal. Preoperative radiotherapy can shrink the tumor, making it operable, thereby expanding the surgical indications for liver cancer.

Research on Pei Zhengxue's series of prescriptions

range. Currently, the main effective radiotherapy methods include three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy, boron neutron capture therapy, and radioactive particle implantation, which can increase the radiation dose to the target area while reducing the dose to surrounding normal tissues. These methods are highly valuable for controlling tumors, alleviating symptoms, and improving survival rates, and when combined with surgery, chemotherapy, and traditional Chinese medicine, they have ushered in a new era of liver cancer treatment.