Does tumour ablation treat liver metastases?

Liver metastases are cancer deposits that started in another organ and travelled to the liver. Ablation uses an imaging-guided probe to apply heat or cold to a selected deposit. It can be considered when deposits are reachable and the wider cancer plan supports local treatment.

The team reviews the primary cancer, scan findings, liver function, deposit size and position, and whether cancer is present outside the liver. Ablation treats the areas targeted during the procedure; medicines or another treatment may be needed for disease in other places.

Ask the oncology team what the scans show and whether the aim is tumour control, symptom relief, or both. Discuss systemic treatment, surgery, radiation, observation, and other liver-directed options when relevant to the original cancer.

Give the team a complete medicine list and mention blood thinners, bleeding concerns, allergies, prior liver treatment, and other conditions. Ask what preparation is required and how scans will monitor the treated deposits and the rest of the body.

Seek urgent care for severe or worsening abdominal pain, repeated vomiting, fever with chills, fainting, confusion, unusual bleeding, black stools, yellow skin or eyes, or a rapidly enlarging abdomen. After ablation, these signs may signal a complication or another urgent problem.

Ask how the original cancer affects treatment choice, which deposits can be reached, whether other sites need treatment, and how the team will judge response and manage symptoms.