Liver Cancer
Liver cancer is cancer of the liver, the organ that filters the blood circulating through the body, helps the body digest food, stores energy and remove toxins and poisons from the blood. The liver is the largest organ in the human body. There are two types of liver cancer: primary, which starts in the liver; and metastatic, in which cancer begins somewhere else in the body and spreads to the liver. Risk factors for primary liver cancer include hepatitis B and C (bloodborne diseases caused by viruses), heavy alcohol use, scarring of the liver, obesity, and diabetes.
Why UAB
Patients who choose UAB Medicine for their gastrointestinal cancer care will benefit from a pacesetting team of specialists, state-of-the-art technology, and some treatments not available at other medical centers. We have an outstanding team of surgeons, radiation oncologists, medical oncologists and gastroenterologists, and by coming to the O'Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center at UAB, you may be eligible for cutting-edge medications and treatments through a clinical trial. We employ a unique multidisciplinary approach to identifying and treating both pre-cancerous lesions of the pancreas and individuals who are at a higher risk of pancreatic cancer, in the hope of avoiding the development of cancers in the future.
A GI cancer diagnosis can produce a high level of stress for patients, so we provide a nurse navigator to help organize your visit. The program streamlines your introduction to UAB Medicine by arranging for your medical records, setting your appointments, and guiding you throughout the process. This allows your treatment team to deliver more efficient care.
RELATED SERVICES
CLINICAL TRIALS
UAB is an active participant in research and clinical trials. We encourage you to speak to your physician about research and clinical trial options and browse the link below for more information.
View Clinical TrialsMORE INFO
- Supportive Care and Survivorship Clinic
Supportive Care and Survivorship Clinic
The Supportive Care and Survivorship Clinic takes an interdisciplinary approach to caring for patients with serious illnesses, whether they are in active treatment or have completed treatment. Our goal is to help patients fulfill their maximum physical, emotional, spiritual, vocational, and social potential.
The health professionals at the Supportive Care and Survivorship Clinic help patients manage the side effects associated with cancer. Referrals to the Supportive Care and Survivorship Clinic can be made by any treating physician or nurse or by patient self-referral. A broad range of insurance is accepted.
Patient appointment scheduling is flexible and based on patient needs and other concurrent treatments. Clinic sessions are held Wednesday and Friday mornings with palliative care physicians and fellows. A physician assistant is available Monday through Friday.
Our Team
Physicians and physician assistants have special expertise in complex symptom management including depression, anxiety, insomnia, fatigue, loss of appetite, pain syndromes, and others.
Nurses support patients by facilitating the clinic sessions as well as managing communication with patients. They are the front line of patient care.
Physical therapists develop individualized programs for each patient to help with coordination, balance, strength, endurance, flexibility, or range of motion. Counselors are experienced in structuring counseling sessions to meet the specific needs of each person. Individual, couple, and family sessions are available.
Nutritionists have expertise in nutrition for patients with serious illnesses.
Massage therapists are trained in all types of massage, including oncology massage, which is a specialized approach that supports the body's health before, during, and after treatment for cancer.
Our clinic is an active teaching environment with fellows, residents, and students in both medicine and nursing participating in patient care.
Location
The UAB Supportive Care and Survivorship Clinic is located on the 3rd floor of The Kirklin Clinic of UAB Hospital.
Patients can request an appointment online or by calling UAB Healthfinder at 205.934.9999 or 800.822.8816.