LIVER CANCER. IT AFFECTS 1 IN EVERY 35,000 PEOPLE EACH YEAR. KNOWN AS HEPATOCELLULAR
CARCINOMA OR HCC. IT PLAGUES MEN SLIGHTLY MORE THAN WOMEN BUT REMAINS A DISEASE A NEXT
GUEST IS DETERMINED TO HELP CONQUER. JOINING US TO TALK ABOUT NOVEL OUTPATIENT TREATMENTS
AGAINS LIVE CANCER IS DR. MAUREEN COEY AN INTERVENTIONAL RADIOLOGIST AT THE UNIVERSITY
OF CALIFORNIA, SAN FRANCISCO. DOCTOR, WELCOME. IT'S SO GREAT TO HAVE YOU BACK IN THE STUDIO
WITH US. THANK YOU.
YOU KNOW, WHAT DO TYPICAL HCC RISK FACTORS TELL US ABOUT THAT CHANCES OF BEING DIAGNOSED
WITH LIVER CANCER? SO, THE MOST COMMON RISK FACTORS INCLUDE VIRAL
HEPATITIS. OKAY.
SO, HEPATITIS B AND C. SO, IF YOU KNOW YOU HAVE THAT OR A LOVED ONE HAS THAT THEN YOU
CAN HAVE A HIGHER CHANCE OF BEING DETECTED AND YOU CAN GET SCREENING FOR LIVER CANCER.
OBESITY, TYPE 2 DIABETES, ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION. THOSE ARE ALSO RISK FACTORS. SO, IF YOU ARE
AWARE OF THAT, AND IF YOUR DOCTOR IS AWARE OF THOSE RISK FACTORS THE DIAGNOSIS CAN BE
EXPEDITED AS WELL. FROM A TREATMENT PERSPECTIVE IN TERMS OF HOPE
AND HELP. WHAT'S HAPPENING NOW FOR THOSE BEING DIAGNOSED WITH HCC?
SO THE CURATIVE THERAPIES FOR HCC INCLUDE LIVER TRANSPLANTATION AND ALSO SURGICAL REMOVAL
OF THE TUMOR. THE PROBLEM IS, IS THAT NOT EVERYONE DIAGNOSED WITH HCC QUALIFIES FOR
A TRANSPLANT OR SURGERY. SO, WHEN GREAT NOVEL TECHNOLOGY IS A LIVER DIRECTED THERAPY WITH
RADIOEMBOLIZATION SUCH AS THERASPHERE. AND THIS IS LIVER DIRECTED THERAPY WHERE WE INJECT
THESE SMALL BEADS THAT ARE COATED WITH RADIOACTIVE MATERIAL INTO THE TUMOR. AND THAT CAUSES THE
DEATH OF THE CANCER CELLS. AND SO THE TUMOR GETS SMALLER. SO, THE PATIENTS HAVE MORE TIME
TO GET A LIVER TRANSPLANT OR THE TUMOR GETS SO SMALL THAT THE SURGEON CAN FINALLY TAKE
THE PATIENT TO THE OPERATING ROOM AND REMOVE THE TUMOR. AND IT WILL ENHANCE THEIR SURVIVAL.
WELL, THAT'S GREAT NEWS. REALLY. YES.
AND WHAT MAKES THIS TREATMENT PREFERABLE? I MEAN I THINK I KNOW, BUT SAY THAT FOR ME
AGAIN. SO, I THINK THE BEST PART ABOUT THIS TREATMENT
IS THAT IT'S AN OUT PATIENT PROCEDURE. SO, YOU GO IN TO THE HOSPITAL. YOU GET THE PROCEDURE
AFTER A BRIEF RECOVERY, YOU GO HOME. THE QUALITY OF LIFE IS MAINTAINED SO YOU STILL GET TO
WAKE UP AT YOUR HOUSE AND RUN YOUR ERRANDS. AND THE HOPE OF GETTING ADDITIONAL THERAPY
AFTERWARDS. SO IF YOU NEED ADDITIONAL LOCAL REGIONAL THERAPY TO THE LIVER. IF YOU NEED
THERAPY TO THE LIVER, IT'S STILL AVAILABLE TO YOU.
THAT IS SO GREAT. AND WHAT ARE THE CRITERIA FOR SUCCESSFUL TREATMENT?
USUALLY HAPPENS AFTER THE PROCEDURE, ABOUT ONE MONTH TO THREE MONTHS LATER, PATIENTS
UNDERGO SOME SORT OF IMAGING. EITHER A CAT-SCAN OR AN MRI. AND WHAT WE HOPE TO SEE IS THE
TUMOR HAS SHRUNK SIGNIFICANTLY. AND ALSO IT HAS DIED SO THAT THE PATIENTS CAN EITHER GO
ON TO HAVE OTHER CURATIVE THERAPIES SUCH AS LIVER TRANSPLANTATION OR SURGICAL RESECTION.
WHAT'S THE MOST TAKEAWAY INFORMATION WE CAN GET?
YES, I THINK IS YOU HAVE HCC OR IF A LOVED ONE HAS HCC, IT'S IMPORTANT TO KNOW THAT THERE
ARE A LOT OF DIFFERENT THERAPIES OUT THERE AND NOVEL THERAPIES OUT THERE SUCH AS THERASPHERE
AND RADIOEMBOLIZATION SO IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT TO TALK TO YOUR DOCTOR. ASK THEM IF YOU QUALIFY
OR IF YOU CAN TALK TO SOMEBODY THAT KNOWS MORE ABOUT IT.
SUCH GREAT INFORMATION! THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US TODAY. AND IF YOU'D LIKE ADDITIONAL
INFORMATION ON THIS IMPORTANT MEDICAL AND HEALTH TOPIC, PLEASE VISIT US AT
THEBALANCINGACT.COM OR LOG ON TO
FACEBOOK/BALANCINGACTSFANS THERASPHERE IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION.
INDICATION. THERASPHERE IS AUTHORIZED BY FEDERAL LAW FOR USE A HUMANITARIAN DEVICE IN RADIATION
TREATMENT OR AS A NEOADJUVANT TO SURGERY OR TRANSPLANTATION IN PATIENTS WITH UNRESECTABLE
HCC WHO CAN PLACEMENT OF APPROPRIATELY POSITIONED HEPATIC ARTERIAL CATHETERS. THE DEVICE IS
ALSO INDICATED FOR HCC PATIENTS WITH PARTIAL OR BRAND PORTAL VEIN THROMBOSIS OR OCCLUSION.
IN CLINICAL EVALUATION WARRANTS THE TREATMENT. THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THIS DEVICE FOR THIS
USE HAS NOT BEEN DEMONSTRATED. ADVERSE REACTIONS. THERASPHERE HAS SOME COMMON SIDE EFFECTS INCLUDING
MILD TO MODERATE FATIGUE, PAIN, AND NASEAU. AND MAY OCCUR THROUGH OUT THE FIRST WEEK AFTER
TREATMENT. SOME PATIENTS MAY EXPERIENCE LOSS OF APPETITE AND TEMPORARY CHANGES IN LIVER
BLOOD TESTS. THE INTRODUCTION OF MICROSPHERES INTO THE VASCULATURE OF THE STOMACH OR OTHER
ORGANS OF THE GASTROINTESTINAL TRACT MAY CAUSE CHRONIC PAIN, ULCERATION, AND BLEEDING. MICROSPHERE
SHUNTING TO THE LUNGS MAY CAUSE EDEMA AND FIBROSIS THAT MAY NOT BE REVERSIBLE. FOR MORE
DETAILS ABOUT RARE OF SEVERE SIDE EFFECTS PLEASE REFER TO THE THERASPHERE PACKAGE INSERT
AT WWW.THERASPHERE.COM
FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE REFER TO THE PACKAGE INSERT FOR THERASPHERE CONTRAINDICATIONS.