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Treatment of newly diagnosed hepatoblastoma
Source: Hepatoblastoma, National Cancer Institute.
Source updated: February 21, 2025 · Captured 2026-09-09.
Selected source text with whitespace normalised. This Triangle page is not an NCI PDQ summary. Independent clinical review is pending.
NCI patient article for the named subtype within this topic Source-defined subtype article; do not apply its treatment text to every subtype in the umbrella topic.
Treatment of newly diagnosed hepatoblastoma that can be removed by surgery at the time of diagnosis may include:
surgery to remove the tumor, followed by combination chemotherapy, for hepatoblastoma that is mixed epithelial and fetal histology (not well-differentiated fetal histology) or aggressive chemotherapy for small cell undifferentiated histology
surgery to remove the tumor, followed by watchful waiting or chemotherapy, for hepatoblastoma with well-differentiated fetal histology
Treatment of newly diagnosed hepatoblastoma that cannot be removed by surgery or is not removed at the time of diagnosis may include:
combination chemotherapy to shrink the tumor, followed by surgery to remove the tumor
combination chemotherapy, followed by a liver transplant
chemoembolization or radioembolization of the hepatic artery to shrink the tumor, followed by surgery to remove the tumor
For newly diagnosed hepatoblastoma that has spread to other parts of the body at the time of diagnosis, combination chemotherapy is given to shrink the tumors in the liver and cancer that has spread to other parts of the body. After chemotherapy, imaging tests are done to check whether the tumors can be removed by surgery.
Treatment may include:
if the tumors in the liver and other parts of the body (usually nodules in the lung) can be removed, surgery will be done to remove the tumors, followed by chemotherapy to kill any cancer cells that may remain
if the tumor in other parts of the body cannot be removed, or a liver transplant is not possible, chemotherapy, chemoembolization or radioembolization of the hepatic artery, or radiation therapy may be given
if the tumor in other parts of the body cannot be removed, or the patient does not want surgery, radiofrequency ablation may be given
Preserved source evidence · Independent clinical review pending · Not medical advice