New Methods for Treating Liver Cancer

University of Minnesota researchers are launching research aimed at improving treatment for a deadly form of liver cancer found in people who have developed cirrhosis.

Treating this type of cancer, known as hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), is difficult because surgically cutting out the cancer can destroy an already poorly functioning liver.

Erik Cressman, an assistant professor of radiology in the Medical School, is developing a minimally invasive method that destroys cancerous tissue by injecting two chemicals into the liver tumor. When the chemicals combine and react, they produce intense heat that destroys cells around the injection site. He has done pilot testing on pig livers.

As biostatistician on the two-year project, SPH associate professor Lynn Eberly will analyze different types of chemical injections. Using a method called response surface modeling, she will determine which type of injection, in terms of volume and chemical molarity, results in the largest volume of cell destruction.

The model allows Eberly to evaluate all combinations of volume and molarity--within the bounds of the specific values tested--to find the optimal combination. The long-term goal of the research is to develop a minimally invasive treatment that may also be used for other types of malignancies, including breast cancer.

But the treatment is urgently needed for HCC, a cancer that is becoming more prevalent, is often unresponsive to chemotherapy and radiation therapy, and has low survivorship.

"Part of the problem is that not enough liver transplants are available," says Eberly. "So new treatment methods are needed. We're searching for a treatment that is aggressive enough to destroy the cancer but also safe for the patient."