In its endeavor to bring focus to the recent advancements in liver cancer treatment and transplants, theCentre for Liver and Biliary Surgery (CLBS) at Max Super Speciality Hospital, Sakethas organized the 4th Annual Centre for Liver and Biliary Science Symposium. The 3-day symposium will bring together over 200 doctors, prominent clinicians, physicians and nurses from 20 countries to discuss how Liver Transplantation is a successful form of treatment for Liver Cancer.

The symposiumisdesigned to enable knowledge-sharing and experiences of the eminent speakers, on latest trends and treatment options related to liver transplant. Multimodality treatment and therapy methods such as: Radiofrequency ablation, trans-arterial chemoembolization, stereotactic external beam radiotherapy, down staging therapy, internal radiotherapy and liver transplantationwill be discussed in length. While the first two days arededicated to academic conference and research paper discussions at Eros Hostel, Nehru Place, the third day will witness a Live Workshop on Hepatobiliary Interventional Radiologywhichwill be organized at Max Super Speciality Hospital, Saket.

Dr.Subash Gupta, Chairman – Max Centre for Liver and Biliary Sciences, Max Super Speciality Hospital, Saket, said, “Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC) or liver cancer is one of the common types of cancer in the world, and especially in India where there has been a high incidence rate of Hepatitis B infection. Apart from Hepatitis B, it can also be caused by other diseases that lead to cirrhosis of the liver such as Hepatitis C infection, and alcohol abuse. Unfortunately, like many other cancers, liver cancer may go undetected until a late stage.”

He added, “Liver Transplant today has given fresh lease of life to thousands of patients with liver cancer and is becoming an extremely viable treatment option for end-stage liver disease and acute liver failure.There is no doubt that Liver Transplant is a life-saving procedure for many.”

The event is organized by the Centre of Liver and Biliary Sciences, under the leadership of Dr Subhash Gupta.The centre has successfully conducted over 300 living donor transplants per year, and over 2500 liver transplant operations over the years. With a team of 200 members and 20 years of experience, the center is dedicated towards delivering best in class healthcare services to its patients.

CASE 1

Mr. Khandelwal, 40 year old patient-

• The patient was suffering fromHepatitis B Cirrhosis which led to liver cancer and was detected from a CT Scan.
• Post diagnosis and regular follow-ups, doctors were able to remove the tumour surgically. Unfortunately, the recurrence of tumour in chronic liver diseases is quite common.
• The tumour came back after 2 years and was not safe to resect again. The patient was subjected to liver transplant where his younger brother volunteered to donatea part of his liver.
• It has been over a year since his transplant, and the patient is now leading a normal life.

CASE 2

Mr. Jai Prakash Ojha, 57 years old patient

• The patient was suffering from a chronic liver disease and with time,developed liver cancer with a large tumour which involved major veins of the organ. His condition was extremely severe and restricted him from getting a surgery or transplant.
• Post assessment, he was subjected to a combination of chemotherapy and radiotherapy. He responded positively to this combination therapy which led to shrinkage of the tumour.
• Furthermore, he was found to fulfil the criteria of transplant which he went successfully and has completely recovered.

The symposium will deliberate on how HCC accounts for 90% of cancers of the liver worldwide, with a growing incidence in most countries. Globally, HCC is the fifth most common cancer (7.5 lakh new cases annually) and is the third leading cause of annual deaths due to cancer (7 lakh deaths each year) after lung and stomach cancer.Around 70-90% of HCC has been reported in cirrhotic patients globally, making liver cirrhosis the single most important risk factor for developing liver cancer. Other risk factors are chronic Hepatitis B and C infection, heavy alcohol consumption, male gender, increasing age, and exposure to certain chemicals. Obesity, diabetes, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) are also considered risk factors but have lower risk in comparison.