Liver Cancer Board

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Liver Cancer Board

According to the statistical data of national death causes from the Taiwan Ministry of Health and Welfare, hepatocellular carcinoma is the second leading cause of cancer death in Taiwan. Active hepatocellular carcinoma prevention and treatment, providing a complete multi-disciplinary integrated team care, and improving the quality of life of patients are the top priority of the Taipei Cancer Center’ hepatocellular carcinoma team.
The characteristic treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma in Taipei Medica University Hospital, Taipei Municipal Wanfang Hospital and Taipei Medical University-Shuang Ho Hospital, all three hospitals have Department of Gastroenterology, Gastrointestinal Surgery, Medical Imaging, Hematology Oncology, Radiation Oncology, multi-specialty integrated treatment team, including minimally invasive surgical treatment, da Vinci Surgical System, real-time virtual sonography and contrast-enhanced ultrasound (assisted and accurate ablation treatment), microwave ablation, radiofrequency ablation, multiple-electrodes radiofrequency ablation with switching controlling system; transcatheter arterial chemoembolization, hepatic arterial infusion chemotherapy, target therapy, and immunotherapy; ” stereotactic body radiation therapy “, for patients with primary liver cancer who are already covered by Taiwan national health insurance, in principle, as long as the largest diameter of a single tumor does not exceed 5 cm, other operations are not suitable, local ablation such as radiofrequency or microwave ablation, transcatheter arterial chemoembolization, etc., as well as suitable physical fitness and liver function, have a chance to pass the review.
Taipei Medica University Hospital has introduced a new generation of microspheres for transcatheter arterial embolization to achieve distal embolization and they are mixed evenly with the contrast agent. After transcatheter arterial embolization, it can assist in the positioning of liver cancer under abdominal ultrasound, and at the same time block the hepatic artery that nourishes the liver cancer. If the tumor has ischemic necrosis, ultrasound-guided radiofrequency or microwave tumor ablation can be performed every other day to achieve a larger ablation area (average 6-7cm). ” Proton beam therapy ” is a high-precision radiation therapy that can concentrate radiation energy to the lesion to non-invasively ablate liver cancers while avoiding the surrounding normal tissues. The new generation of proton beam therapy machines of Taipei Medica University Hospital started since 2022. The survival rate of liver transplantation in Taiwan is as high as 80%. Taipei Municipal Wanfang Hospital established an organ transplant center since August 2021, and has completed many cases of liver transplantation, allowing patients to regain their lives.

Board Leader

Wei-Yu Kao, M.D.&Ph.D.

Attending Physician, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Internal Medicine, Taipei Medical University Hospital, Taipei , Taiwan (2013.07～present)
Director, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Internal Medicine, Taipei Medical University Hospital, Taipei , Taiwan (2021.08～present)
Convener, Hepatocellular Carcinoma Team, Taipei Cancer Center, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan (2021.02～present) Associate professor, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan (2022.08~present)

Specialties

Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, fatty liver, radiofrequency ablation or microwave ablation for hepatocellular carcinoma

Liver Cancer Board

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Board Leader

Board Members

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