WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – Liver cancer patients now have new hope for long-term survival from a procedure that removes cancerous parts of the liver and implants a special pump to deliver chemotherapy directly to the affected tissues.
Increased knowledge of liver anatomy, combined with technological advances and improved anesthesia and critical care, have greatly reduced the risks and made liver "resection" an option for many patients with both primary tumors and cancer that has spread from the colon.
Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center will present an internet broadcast of this surgical procedure at 5 p.m. on Wednesday Oct. 27.
The procedure will be performed by Perry Shen, M.D., assistant professor of surgical oncology, with Edward Levine, M.D., professor of surgical oncology as host and moderator.
The surgery employs ultrasound to give the surgeon detailed real-time information, and new devices to transect the liver have made the procedure safer.
Wake Forest Baptist has an active program to deliver a high concentration of chemotherapy to the remaining liver, which is at risk for cancer recurrence, using a process known as hepatic arterial infusion therapy. Wake Forest Baptist is collaborating with other centers now studying the combination of chemotherapy with other new drugs.
The webcast, the medical center’s ninth, is accessible to all viewers, and CME credit is offered for medical professionals. Registration and viewing information can be found at www.wfubmc.edu, where all of the previous webcasts are archived for viewing at any time.
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Editors: Interviews with both surgeons and patient can be arranged by calling a contact below.
Online Editors: Please feel free to link directly to our webcast webpage: http://www1.wfubmc.edu/webcasts/Liver+Cancer+Surgery.htm
Media Contacts: Jonnie Rohrer, jrohrer@wfubmc.edu, (336) 716-6972; Mark Wright, mwright@wfubmc.edu, (336) 716-3382, or Karen Richardson, krchrdsn@wfubmc.edu, 336-716-4587.