Chemoembolization Using Doxorubicin in Treating Patients With Liver Cancer That Cannot Be Removed By Surgery

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

* Diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) according to the European Association for the Study of Liver (EASL) disease diagnostic criteria AND the Okuda staging classification

  * No advanced disease, as defined by any of the following:

    * Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) class C disease, as defined by the following:

      * Vascular invasion, including segmental portal obstruction
      * Extrahepatic spread
      * Cancer-related symptoms (PST of 1-2)
    * BCLC class D disease, as defined by the following:

      * Okuda stage III disease
      * World Health Organization (WHO) performance status 3 or 4
    * Diffuse HCC, defined as massive ill-defined tumor involvement
    * Child-Pugh Class C
* Not eligible for radical therapies (e.g., resection, liver transplantation, or percutaneous therapies)
* No significant liver decompensation

  * Preserved liver function (Child-Pugh class A-B)

    * No ascites (trace ascites allowed)
* No other active primary tumor
* Arteries supplying the lesion must be large enough to accept GelSpheres™ beads

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

* Bilirubin ≤ 3 mg/dL
* Albumin \> 2.0 g/dL
* Aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) ≤ 5 times the upper limit of normal (ULN)
* Alkaline phosphatase ≤ 5 times the upper limit of normal (ULN)
* No active gastrointestinal bleeding
* No encephalopathy
* No contraindication to hepatic embolization procedures, as indicated by any of the following:

  * Porto-systemic shunt
  * Hepatofugal blood flow
  * Platelet count \< 50,000/mm\^3
  * International normalized ratio (INR) ≥ 1.8
  * Partial thromboplastin time (PTT) ≥ 39 seconds
  * Renal failure
  * Severe atheromatosis
* No contraindication to doxorubicin hydrochloride administration, as indicated by any of the following:

  * Bilirubin \> 5 mg/dL
  * White blood cell (WBC) \< 1,500/mm\^3
  * Ejection fraction \< 50% by isotopic ventriculography or echocardiography
* Not pregnant
* No known allergy to contrast media
* No intolerance to occlusion procedures
* No vascular anatomy or bleeding that would preclude catheter placement or emboli injection, as indicated by any of the following:

  * Active or risk of hemorrhage
  * Patent extra-to-intracranial anastomoses or shunts
  * End arteries leading directly to the cranial nerves
  * Feeding arteries smaller than distal branches from which they emerge
  * Collateral vessel pathways that would potentially endanger normal territories during embolization

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

* No prior anticancer therapy for HCC