Pre Congress Symposiums
This session will aim to explore the spectrum of primary liver cancer care, from liver disease diagnosis through to cancer treatment and management. Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common primary liver cancer, and around 90% of those who present with HCC have underlying chronic liver disease, making management challenging. Diagnosis is often made at a late stage due to factors such as stigma, shame, lack of knowledge of risk factors, regional and cultural barriers. Late diagnosis significantly limits treatment options and is often associated with worsening liver disease. Those with HCC are commonly managed outside of traditional oncology units, due to the complexity of managing their advanced liver disease and the complications that arise from this, along with cancer treatments. As such this patient cohort often misses out on the wraparound care provided by large oncology units and cancer centres. Participants will gain insight into the unique and complex challenges faced by both patients and clinicians during liver cancer treatment and will explore the critical role that specialist nurses play in providing expert, compassionate, evidence-based care.