What is the outlook for Childhood Liver Cancer ?
Certain factors affect prognosis (chance of recovery) and treatment options. The prognosis (chance of recovery) and treatment options for hepatoblastoma depend on the following:          - The PRETEXT or POSTTEXT group.    - Whether the cancer has spread to other places in the body, such as the lungs or certain large blood vessels.     - Whether the cancer can be removed completely by surgery.    - How the cancer responds to chemotherapy.    - How the cancer cells look under a microscope.    - Whether the AFP blood levels go down after treatment.    - Whether the cancer has just been diagnosed or has recurred.     - Age of the child.        The prognosis (chance of recovery) and treatment options for hepatocellular carcinoma depend on the following:         - The PRETEXT or POSTTEXT group.    - Whether the cancer has spread to other places in the body, such as the lungs.     - Whether the cancer can be removed completely by surgery.    - How the cancer responds to chemotherapy.    - How the cancer cells look under a microscope.    - Whether the child has hepatitis B infection.    - Whether the cancer has just been diagnosed or has recurred.         For childhood liver cancer that recurs (comes back) after initial treatment, the prognosis and treatment options depend on:         - Where in the body the tumor recurred.    - The type of treatment used to treat the initial cancer.        Childhood liver cancer may be cured if the tumor is small and can be completely removed by surgery. Complete removal is possible more often for hepatoblastoma than for hepatocellular carcinoma.