Hepatic Arterial Chemoembolization With Cisplatin or Internal Radiation Therapy in Treating Patients With Advanced Liver Cancer That Cannot Be Removed By Surgery

RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as cisplatin, work in different ways to stop the growth of tumor cells, either by killing the cells or by stopping them from dividing. In this case, chemotherapy is given through the artery (hepatic artery) that brings blood to the tumor. Chemoembolization kills tumor cells by blocking the blood flow to the tumor and keeping chemotherapy drugs near the tumor. Internal radiation uses radioactive material placed directly into or near a tumor to kill tumor cells. It is not yet known whether hepatic arterial chemoembolization with cisplatin is more effective than internal radiation therapy in treating liver cancer. PURPOSE: This randomized phase III trial is studying hepatic arterial chemoembolization with cisplatin to see how well it works compared to internal radiation therapy in treating patients with advanced liver cancer that cannot be removed by surgery.