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Hepatocellular Carcinoma Treatment

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a type of liver cancer that usually affects people whose livers have been under a lot of stress for a long time. This stress could be caused by hepatitis B or C, metabolic diseases, or use of certain drugs for a long time. These drugs include:

  • Ethanol, the form of alcohol used in beverages
  • Androgenic anabolic steroids

Hepatocellular carcinoma is rare in children, especially those younger than 5. Less than 1 child in 1 million is diagnosed with this disease. It is usually diagnosed in children ages 12–14.

Find out more about hepatocellular carcinoma on the Together by St. Jude™ online resource.

Treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma

The main treatment for hepatocellular carcinoma is surgery. It could require a liver transplant if the tumor involves the whole liver. Chemotherapy may be used to shrink the tumor to make it easier to remove.

Hepatocellular carcinoma clinical trials

St. Jude offers clinical trials and cancer research studies for children, teens, and young adults with liver cancer. Learn more about clinical trials at St. Jude.

Open clinical trials for hepatocellular carcinoma

Recruiting
ANGIO-A: Cyclophosphamide, Sorafenib, Bevacizumab, and Atezolizumab in Pediatric Solid Tumors

Study goal:

In Part 1 of this study, we will see if sorafenib, cyclophosphamide, bevacizumab, and atezolizumab can be given safely together without causing serious side effects. Part 2 of the study will find out how well these medicines work in hepatocellular carcinoma, fibrolamellar carcinoma, desmoplastic small round cell tumors, and malignant rhabdoid tumors.

Age:

1-30 years old

Recruiting
PEPN2011: Tegavivint Treatment for Solid Tumors, Lymphomas, and Desmoid Tumors

Study goal:

The main purpose of this study is to find out how well the medicine tegavivint works to help children, teens, and young adults with certain recurrent or refractory solid tumors.

Age:

12 months to 30 years

Hepatocellular carcinoma care at St. Jude

St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital provides the highest quality of care for patients with pediatric liver cancer:

  • St. Jude offers a dedicated team of specialists to meet the needs of children with hepatocellular carcinoma, including:
  • Complete, quality surgery is an important part of treating hepatocellular carcinoma. The expert skills and experience of St. Jude surgeons can help improve patients’ chances for the best outcomes.
  • St. Jude has access to new “experimental” medicines that can be used if the cancer comes back or does not respond to treatment.

More reasons to choose St. Jude for care include:

  • We are consistently ranked among the best childhood cancer centers in the nation by US News & World Report. 

  • We have created an environment where children can be children and families can be together.  

  • We lead more clinical trials for childhood cancer than any other hospital in the U.S.   

  • St. Jude is the only National Cancer Institute–designated Comprehensive Cancer Center just for children. A Comprehensive Cancer Center meets rigorous standards for research that develops new and better approaches to prevent, diagnose, and treat cancer. 

  • The nurse-to-patient ratio at St. Jude is about 1:3 in hematology and oncology and 1:1 in the Intensive Care Unit. 

  • Patients may be able to get expert, compassionate care and treatment closer to their homes through the St. Jude Affiliate Program. 

A statue of children running and holding hands

Seeking treatment at St. Jude

Patients accepted to St. Jude must have a disease we treat and must be referred by a physician or other qualified medical professional. We accept most patients based on their ability to enroll in an open clinical trial.

How to seek treatment

Contact the Physician / Patient Referral Office

Submit online referral form

Call: 1-888-226-4343 (toll-free) or 901-595-4055 (local)  | Fax: 901-595-4011 | Email: referralinfo@stjude.org | 24-hour pager: 1-800-349-4334

The solid tumor coordinator is dedicated to helping you seek treatment or refer a patient.

Solid Tumor Coordinator

 

Learn more