Are there any new developments in the treatment of primary liver cancer?
Sorafenib, a new drug that interferes with the growth of certain cancer cells, is under review by NICE. It’s hoped that suitable patients with liver cancer will be offered potentially beneficial treatment. • For biliary tract cancer, if the bile duct is blocked by a tumour, you’ll almost always have a stent inserted. In addition, there are two experimental treatments: The effects of photodynamic light therapy (PDT) in biliary tract cancer (bile duct or gallbladder cancer) is at present part of a large, ongoing international trial called Photostent-02. PDT is used, in combination with a biliary stent, to treat small tumours that haven’t spread throughout the body. Patients are injected with a photosensitising agent that makes the body’s cells sensitive to light. When the area to be treated is exposed to laser light, the cells are killed. Patients who receive PDT will need to avoid exposing their skin to direct sunlight for some weeks afterwards to avoid sunburn. They’ll have to wear lon
