🏥 A major centre for liver cancers
Cochin University Hospital AP-HP is one of the national reference sites for the management of primary and secondary liver cancers. Our medical imaging department brings together, on a single site, all the diagnostic and therapeutic expertise needed for complete, personalised care.
Our strength: every treatment available on a single site
⚡ Liver cancer centre at a glance — At a glance
Our centre combines diagnostic imaging, biopsy and the full range of minimally invasive treatments (radiofrequency, microwave, cryoablation, TACE, Y90) for liver tumours, alongside liver surgery and transplantation.
| Criterion | Data |
|---|---|
| Treatments available | Percutaneous ablation, chemoembolization (TACE), radioembolization (Y90) |
| Decision-making | Always validated at a multidisciplinary tumour board |
| Local control (small tumours) | Local recurrence < 5% at 5 years for tumours < 3 cm |
| Cost | Covered by French national health insurance at Cochin AP-HP — no out-of-pocket fees |
Data validated by the team of Prof. Anthony Dohan, Department of Interventional Radiology, Cochin Hospital AP-HP, Université Paris Cité.
🤝 Complete multidisciplinary care
Every patient's case is discussed at a dedicated liver multidisciplinary team meeting (MDT), bringing together interventional radiologists, hepatologists, digestive surgeons, medical oncologists and pathologists.
🏥 Hepatology — Cochin Hospital
Specialist hepatology consultation, pre-transplant work-up, follow-up of chronic liver disease. Prof. Coriat — 01 58 41 42 43
hopital-cochin.aphp.fr →🔪 Digestive Surgery — Cochin
Laparoscopic and robotic liver resection, complex biliary surgery, management of liver metastases.
chir-digestive-cochin.com →🧬 Liver transplantation
Access to liver transplantation in collaboration with the transplant team at Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital AP-HP, a national reference centre.
🩸 Haematology — Cochin
Dedicated haematology consultation for patients with liver involvement from blood cancers, liver lymphomas or amyloidosis.
🔬 Gastroenterology — Cochin
Digestive oncology, pancreatic cancers, neuroendocrine tumours (RENATEN network), colonoscopy. Prof. Coriat.
gastrocochin.com →🔬 Pathology — Cochin
Liver biopsy results available in under 72 hours for urgent cases. Molecular tumour analysis (NGS) on liquid and tissue biopsy.
🔧 Our liver tumour ablation techniques
🔥 Radiofrequency (RF)
Heat-based thermal ablation. The standard for HCC nodules < 3 cm and isolated metastases. Ultrasound or CT guidance.
🌊 Microwave (MWA)
Thermal ablation that is faster and more powerful than RF. Useful for tumours > 3 cm, close to vessels or in a fatty liver.
⚡ Irreversible electroporation (IRE)
A non-thermal technique using electrical pulses. Indicated for tumours close to the bile ducts or vessels that cannot be treated by RF/MWA.
💊 Chemoembolisation (TACE)
Chemotherapy injection + arterial occlusion. Standard for intermediate HCC (BCLC-B) and hypervascular metastases.
☢️ Y90 radioembolisation
Yttrium-90-loaded microspheres. HCC and multiple liver metastases. Enables downstaging towards transplantation or resection.
🫀 Portal vein embolisation
Pre-operative preparation: hypertrophy of the future liver remnant before major hepatectomy. Combined with radioembolisation if needed (TARE + PVE).
🩻 Expert liver imaging
Our department has recognised expertise in diagnostic liver imaging, essential for characterising lesions and planning treatment.
- Expert liver MRI: dedicated HCC protocols (LI-RADS), metastases, cholangiocarcinoma, diffusion MRI, MR elastography (stiffness)
- Multidetector CT: liver volumetry, triphasic CT, portography, embolisation planning
- Image-guided liver biopsy: priority pathology results in under 72 hours for urgent cases, molecular analysis available
- Liver elastography (FibroScan, MR elastography) for non-invasive fibrosis assessment
📊 Tumours treated
Primary tumours
- Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC)
- Intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma
- Klatskin tumour (hilar)
- Bile duct cholangiocarcinoma
- Symptomatic giant haemangioma
Secondary tumours
- Colorectal metastases
- Breast cancer metastases
- Neuroendocrine metastases (NET)
- Melanoma metastases
- Metastases from digestive cancers (stomach, pancreas)
🚨 Rapid referral — Liver emergency
For any patient needing urgent management or a rapid MDT discussion:
✅ Covered by French National Health Insurance · No additional fees · Cochin University Hospital AP-HP
❓ Frequently asked questions
✓ Why this page is trustworthy
Written by the Interventional Radiology team at Cochin Hospital AP-HP, Université Paris Cité. Medically reviewed by an interventional radiologist of the department. Last updated: August 2026.