Dr. Cohen on Eligibility for Ablation Therapy in Liver Cancer

Emil Israel Cohen, MD, an assistant professor at Medstar Georgetown University Hospital, discusses the criteria for ablation therapy in patients with liver cancer.

According to Cohen, eligibility criteria boil down to the size and location of the tumor. An ablated tumor ≤3 cm is associated with a 90% cure rate. Tumors up to 5 cm can be ablated, but the approach is less likely to result in cure.

Cohen says that with advances in liver cancer treatment, ablation is not always the optimal intervention. In the past five years, treatment protocols have moved away from aggressive management strategies to combination approaches with chemoembolization and ablation, as well as the use of radioembolization and external beam radiation.

Ultimately, treatment should be personalized based on the patient’s individual needs, Cohen concludes.