Medical Oncologist
CION Cancer Clinics
Why liver cancer needs a team, not one doctor | CION Cancer Clinics
Liver cancer needs a team because the right treatment depends on two things at once: the tumour and the liver it is growing in. No single specialist sees both clearly. This page explains who sits on a liver cancer team, how they reach one plan for you, what can go wrong when one doctor decides alone, and when a full team discussion is not needed. At CION Cancer Clinics, a multidisciplinary tumour board weighs your liver function and your scans before recommending any treatment.
NG
Medically reviewed by Dr. Naresh GunduConsultant Medical Oncologist · MBBS, DNB (Internal Medicine), DM (Medical Oncology, AIIMS) · last reviewed October 2026, next review due October 2027
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On this page
- Why can one doctor not decide liver cancer treatment alone?
- Which specialists make up a liver cancer team?
- How does a team reach one plan for you?
- What can go wrong when one doctor decides alone?
- Does every liver problem need a full team discussion?
- What this page cannot tell you
- Common questions about liver cancer teams
The short answer
Why can one doctor not decide liver cancer treatment alone?
Because liver cancer is two illnesses at once. There is the tumour, and there is the liver it is growing in, which is often already scarred by hepatitis B, hepatitis C, fatty liver or alcohol. A plan that treats the tumour well but pushes a weak liver into failure is not a good plan.
No single specialty sees the whole picture
A surgeon sees what can be removed. A liver specialist sees how much liver function is left. A radiologist reads where the tumour sits against the blood vessels. An oncologist knows which medicines suit which liver. Each view is correct, and each one alone can lead to the wrong choice.
Which liver cancer this page is about
This page is about cancer that starts in the liver, mostly hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). If your scan shows cancer that spread to the liver from the bowel, breast or elsewhere, read primary or secondary liver cancer first. A team matters there too, but the decisions are different.
The tumour is only half the decision. The liver is the other half.Who sits at the table
Which specialists make up a liver cancer team?
Names vary between hospitals. These are the roles that matter, and what each one adds.
Hepatologist
A liver specialist. Judges how well the liver is working, treats hepatitis B or C, and manages fluid, bleeding risk and confusion. CION works with partner hepatologists for this care.
Surgical oncologist
Decides whether the tumour can be removed safely and how much liver must be left behind. Also judges whether a transplant assessment is worth asking for.
Interventional radiologist
Treats the tumour through a needle or a thin tube in an artery: ablation, TACE and TARE. These are arranged through accredited partner hospitals.
Medical oncologist and the rest
Plans immunotherapy and tablet treatment. Alongside sit the diagnostic radiologist, the pathologist, the radiation oncologist and the palliative care doctor.
Often forgotten
- A dietitian, because protein matters in cirrhosis
- A nurse who keeps the family informed
Not sure whether this applies to you?
Ask an oncologistWhat actually happens
How does a team reach one plan for you?
Your records are gathered
Scans on a disc, blood reports, any biopsy report and a list of your medicines. Missing scans are the commonest reason a discussion is delayed.
The case goes to the tumour board
The specialists meet, look at the actual images together and read the liver blood tests. You do not attend. Read what a liver tumour board decides.
Tumour and liver are weighed together
Size, number and position of tumours, then liver function, then how fit you are day to day. The plan must fit all three.
One recommendation comes back to you
Your doctor explains it, with the alternatives the board considered and why they were set aside. You can ask for that reasoning in writing.
Where it changes things
What can go wrong when one doctor decides alone?
- An operation the liver cannot survive
- A tumour can look easy to remove while the liver around it is too scarred to recover. The hepatologist and surgeon together catch this before anyone is harmed.
- A transplant never considered
- Some people with small tumours and badly scarred livers do better with a transplant assessment than with surgery. Only a team that includes this option will raise it.
- Treatments in the wrong order
- TACE, ablation and medicines can be combined. The order matters, and it is easier to get right when every specialist agrees on it.
- Hepatitis B left untreated
- Some cancer treatments can wake up a quiet hepatitis B infection. Antiviral tablets from a liver specialist keep it under control.
- Over-treatment near the end
- When the liver is failing, the kindest plan may be comfort care. A team makes it easier to say so honestly.
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Did you know
International liver cancer guidelines, from Europe and America, both recommend that treatment decisions are made by a multidisciplinary team rather than one specialist. Every liver cancer case at CION goes to a tumour board before a plan is confirmed.
Who this does not apply to
Does every liver problem need a full team discussion?
No. A simple liver cyst, a typical haemangioma or fatty liver on an ultrasound does not need a tumour board. Your doctor may still ask for a follow-up scan, and you should have it. If you have been told to repeat a scan, do not skip it because this page says a team is not needed.
When a team really matters
Any confirmed or strongly suspected liver cancer. A lesion that one scan calls uncertain. Cancer in a liver with cirrhosis. Cancer that has reached a main blood vessel. A plan that changes because the first treatment did not work.
When you need a hospital today, not a meeting
Vomiting blood, black stools, new confusion or drowsiness, or fever with a swollen tummy. Go to hospital today. A team discussion can follow once you are safe.
Being straight with you
What this page cannot tell you
It cannot tell you which treatment suits you. That depends on your scan, your liver blood tests and how you are managing day to day, and only the team looking at those can answer it.
It cannot judge your current plan
If your plan came from one doctor, it may still be correct. Many good doctors already consult colleagues informally. What you can fairly ask is whether a hepatologist, a radiologist and a surgeon have all seen your scans. If not, a second opinion on the plan is a reasonable step, not an insult.
It cannot promise agreement
Teams sometimes disagree. When that happens, ask to hear both views and why one was chosen. A good team will explain it.
If you are not sure whether your case has been discussed, call the helpline and ask. Someone will tell you how to get it reviewed.Questions we are asked
Common questions about liver cancer teams
Do I have to attend the tumour board meeting?
No. The specialists discuss your scans and reports among themselves. Your own doctor then meets you, explains what was decided and why, and answers your questions. Bring a family member to that meeting so someone else hears the reasoning too.
Does a team discussion delay treatment?
Usually only briefly, and the delay is often caused by missing scans rather than the meeting. Bringing every disc and report to your first visit is the simplest way to avoid waiting. A short wait for the right plan is usually safer than a quick wrong one.
Why is a liver specialist involved if I have cancer?
Because the health of the liver decides which treatments are safe. A hepatologist measures that, treats hepatitis B or C and manages complications of cirrhosis. Without that view, a treatment aimed at the tumour can damage the liver that is keeping you well.
Can my surgeon not decide this alone?
A surgeon can tell you whether a tumour can be removed. Whether removing it is the right choice, compared with ablation, TACE, a transplant assessment or medicines, is a question for several specialists together. Surgeons on good teams want that discussion as much as patients do.
Does CION carry out every treatment itself?
No. CION centres provide consultations, the tumour board, immunotherapy, targeted therapy, chemotherapy and supportive care. Scans, biopsy, TACE, ablation, radiation and transplant are coordinated through accredited partner hospitals. Your team will tell you where each step takes place.
What if two doctors gave me different advice?
That is common in liver cancer, because each specialist sees a different part of the problem. Ask for your case to go to a tumour board where both views are weighed together. See when two doctors disagree.
Can my case be discussed if I live outside Hyderabad?
Often, yes. Scans and reports can be shared ahead of time so the team reviews them before you travel. You may still need to come for an examination or new tests. Ask the helpline what to send before you plan the journey.
What should I bring for a team review?
Every scan on disc, not only the printed report. Liver blood tests, AFP results, any biopsy report and slides if you have them, a list of all medicines including herbal ones, and any discharge summaries. Older scans help the team see how fast things are changing.
Your Specialists
Meet CION's liver cancer specialists. Bring your scan reports and liver blood tests.
Our medical and surgical oncologists plan liver cancer care together, weighing the tumour and how well your liver works before choosing surgery, a liver-directed procedure or medicines.
Medical Oncologist
Dr. C. Raghavendra Reddy
MBBS(Gold Medal), DNB(General Medicine), DM(Medical Oncology)(Gold Medal)
Medical Oncologist
Dr. Bharati Devi Gorantla
MBBS, MD(General Medicine), DM(Medical Oncology)(Adyar,Chennai), ECMO, MRCP SCE(UK)
Medical Oncologist
Dr. Owais Mohammed
MBBS, MD (General Medicine), DrNB (Medical Oncology), ECMO, MRCP SCE (Medical Oncology) (UK)
Medical Oncologist
Medical Oncologist
Surgical Oncologist
Dr. Muralidhar Muddusetty
MBBS (AIIMS), MS (Surgery) (AIIMS), DNB (Surgical Oncology), MRCS (Edinburgh)
Surgical Oncologist
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Sources
- EASL — EASL Clinical Practice Guidelines: management of hepatocellular carcinoma
- AASLD — Practice Guidelines
- American Cancer Society — Treating Liver Cancer
- NHS — Treatment for liver cancer
This page is general information, not a prescription. Do not change or stop any treatment based on what you read here. If anything is worrying you, contact your own treating team — or call our helpline and we will help you reach the right specialist.
Keep reading
Related pages
What a liver cancer multidisciplinary meeting decidesInside the meeting where your plan is agreedWhy the tumour is only half the decisionHow liver function shapes every optionWho does what in the liver teamEach specialist's role, one by oneGetting a second opinion on a liver cancer planIf your plan came from one doctor alone
Talk to us
Has your liver cancer plan been seen by a full team?
Send us your scans and reports and we will arrange for your case to be reviewed at a CION tumour board. One helpline serves every CION centre.