Perspective Chapter: Prospects for Pharmacological Therapy of Hepatic Alveolar Echinococcosis

Abstract

Often misdiagnosed as liver cancer at first, the Alveolar hydatid disease or hepatic alveolar echinococcosis is an uncommon but potentially harmful variant of the disease also synonymously known as Echinococcus multilocularis (E. Multilocularis). The major area being drastically affected is the liver, from where its later advances into the lung and brain, typically fatal if left untreated. Even if surgery is still the recommended course of treatment for the condition, drug therapy cannot be thwarted off and remains essential and vital for individuals with disease extremity. This chapter therefore aims to present a framework through which FDA-approved drugs and nano drug delivery technologies collaborate to manage progressive hepatic alveolar echinococcosis.