Surgery to remove part of or all of the liver is usually the most effective way to treat liver cancer. Surgical procedures for liver cancer include:

• Liver transplant
• Partial hepatectomy: Removes just the section of the liver containing the tumor

Radiation oncologists use high-energy rays to kill cancer cells. Radiation therapy options include:

• CyberKnife stereotactic radiosurgery
• Image-guided radiation therapy (IGRT)
• Intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT)
• Stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT)

Medical therapy uses different medicines to destroy cancerous tumors or slow their growth. Cancer medication options include:

• Chemotherapy
• Immunotherapy
• Targeted therapy: Doctors use a drug that interferes with proteins that cancerous liver tumors need to grow.

Ablation is a minimally invasive procedure that destroys liver tumors without removing them. Doctors insert a special needle or probe into the tumor and kill cancer cells through various methods, including:

• Cryoablation (cryotherapy) using freezing temperatures
• Ethanol ablation, also known as percutaneous ethanol injection (PEI), using concentrated alcohol
• Microwave thermotherapy using heat from electromagnetic waves  
• Radiofrequency ablation using heat from high-energy radio waves

With embolization, doctors safely block or reduce blood flow to the blood vessel that feeds the cancerous tumor, eventually destroying it. Types of liver embolization include:

• Arterial embolization (trans-arterial embolization or TAE): Doctors inject small particles to plug the artery that feeds the tumor
• Chemoembolization (trans-arterial chemoembolization or TACE): Chemotherapy drugs block the blood vessel and fight the tumor
• Drug-eluting bead chemoembolization (DEB-TACE): Tiny beads block the artery and slowly release chemotherapy to the tumor
• Radioembolization (trans-arterial radioembolization or TARE): Small beads with radioactive isotopes close the blood vessel while treating the tumor with radiation