How to read this secondary liver cancer picture? Suppose I am standing up, my back facing you and you cut me in half, then look from above: then you see me like in the above picture. Have a better understanding of the picture at : Where is your liver.
Updated August 18, 2008: we added a “roadmap” to clearly read what is happening in the above metastatic liver cancer scan at Where is the liver located.
Secondary liver cancer
Like said already in Metastatic liver cancer facts : a secondary cancer is a cancer that came from 1 place and went to the other place. In this case it went to my liver. See all those dark gray circles at the left top of my liver? These are liver tumors. According to the doctors: if we would have seen only 1 round dark gray circle, then it
would have been a primary liver cancer. But now since there are a few, you can be more or less sure the cancer originates from somewhere else.
Where is the primary cancer?
According to the doctor who did my colonoscopy, the primary cancer most likely comes from the colon, yet his camera got stuck in my intestine and he doesn’t want to poke harder in order not to destroy my intestine.
So this doctor says: colon cancer treatment: take Xeloda.
Then I go see the oncologist and he says: I am not sure that the primary cancer is in your colon, so giving you Xeloda would more be "an experiment" or wild goose chase than "a cancer treatment." This was a brutal reality for me as that meant: TRY heavy chemotherapy in order to TRY to kill everything which could include me as well… If I was 100 % sure the chemotherapy would work, yes I would take it. But TRY….
Prognosis for secondary liver cancer
In my case not good, as they cannot find the primary cancer. You cannot cure what you cannot find… The last thing I heard was about a virtual colonoscopy, but all is silent there…
Secondary liver cancer treatment
- remove the bad part: is not an option if you don’t know where the primary cancer comes from (as it will keep on making the liver sick again)
- get a new liver: is not an option, see above
- chemotherapy (CF5 something): again the problem: as long as you cannot find the primary cancer, it can help you, yet not cure you, as you are not treating the primary cancer
- Radio Frequency Ablation: kind of cooking the liver tumors in my liver bso they are gone. Again same problem with primary cancer.
- Freezing would also exist but I don’t know
- Alcohol treatment would also exist
- Some medicine would act as a natural antibody against cancer, yet it is very bad for the liver… and my liver is already not in a good shape
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Hi Gary!
Darla here, I was reading about your mom, never give up the fight. My uncle survived the prostate surgery with the radiation pellets and to this day is doing good. My aunt who passed from Liver Cancer stage 4, passed October 08. I just wanted you to know that you are not alone in this fight for life, many people don’t know where to turn or what the outcome, just know that God will give you the strength through it all. Let your mom know how much she is loved and her will to survive will amaze you. Try to get her to eat as healthy a diet as possible, as nutrition is not only a key component to strength, but healing. My aunt ate until the tumors grew too large and then her body rejected the food. So as long as she is eating there is hope, never give up hope, and you are not alone. God bless!
Hi Gary!
I want you to know that I have walked in your shoes. Not many people can say this. I too know what it’s like to lose a parent and a sibling to this horrendous disease. The feelings and emotions that you have are perfectly normal. The pain you are experiencing is so unfair. Your mum doesn’t deserve this, no one does. I will keep your Mum in my prayers and ask that our Lord give her peace and some quality of life with you and your family. God Bless your Mum and you, Gary.
Thanks Janet for your support, it has been a hectic week getting ready for my mum to see the consultant again next week with a decision on what she is to do.
I know that she is now not going to re-start Chemotherapy, as the negatives outweigh the benefits, for what is an expected short extension period. She does not want to lose her hair again and we are all gathering as a family to make her last few months both as pain free and supportive as possible. I am pretty numb about it at present, although it has been soothing to discuss it with people who have shared this horrendous illness, and witnessed the ravages it imposes on your close relatives. Currently she still looks healthy although very thin, and we are hoping with positive attitude and a change in diet we can extend this time a bit further.
My Mum doesnt want to know what time she has been given although she is taking oromorph for the pain in her back which is helping currently.
I will keep this updated & thanks to all for your support.
Gary
Thanks Janet!
We published your other – email – answer to Gary at:
Adenocarcinoma of unknown primary
Hugs to you and your family and thanks for sharing.
Hi Gary:
I am so sorry to hear about your Mum. My heart goes out to you and your family. Your Mum is in my prayers. Do the doctors feel she should undergo another round of chemo? Can she handle it? This is so hard to deal with, especially when it’s your Mum. I miss my sister so much. I suggest you go and get your some reading material on how to handle this tragedy and attend some support groups with people who are going through the same thing. It does help you know. You can’t go through this alone. You are in my prayers.
Hi,
My mum has Small cell carcinoma of the lungs and was diagnosed with this back in August 2008. Since then she has had chemotherapy cisplatin and some other chemo plus radium. Today she has been told it has moved to her liver as secondary, and my father collapsed with the news, and I spoke to the consultant who tells me any further chemo therapy will only elongate her life by 2 or 3 months, with the prognosis without chemo was also 2-3 months.
We are all devastated by the news, and we want to do what’s best for my brilliant mum, but dont know what to do ? Shall she have more chemo ? which i dont think she could take !! or, face the inevitable and make her last months memorable.
My god this is awful typing this, and tears are streaming down my face, I just want to do what is best ! but dont know …. I am not an oncologist, and feel totally helpless.
Any suggestions would be welcome, plus what shall we expect if she does not take treatment, what will happen ? can we pre-plan for pain management, how long will it be before something is noticeable ? too many questions, not enough time …sorry …just desparate now..
Gary
Hi, I was crying reading the post. My father was just diagnos of Hepatocellular carcinoma(liver cancer) the doctor said it was 10cm already. He is not doing any chemo. or radiation of we just afraid the side effects and we want to give him a quality of life. He is back in the village in the Philippines he is lossing lot of weight and appetite is okay. He sometimes complaining of mild pain in his lower back and he is taking ibuprofen. I am just afraid everyday knowing my father will eventually get worse. I wanted to go home with my daughter to see him before he will get too sick, unfortunately the plane ticket is very difficult to get just because of the time that I wanna go home right away. He just turn 70 years old last week. I am hoping and praying everyday that I could find a plane ticket to go see my father in the Philippines. Thank you.
Thanks Steve for your description about Metastatic Liver Cancer. My sister who is 56 was diagnosed with Stage IV Advanced Adenocarcinoma Liver Cancer from an unknown primary on Sept 11, 2008. She is now is her final stages of dying. Two different types of Chemotherapy were tried on her but neither one worked. The cancer ate right through the Chemo in addition to eating through her as well. The nerve block was finally put in this week after 2 months of screaming bloody murder in pain even while taking multitude amounts of pain killers, pain patches, you name it, she was on it for the pain, but the pain persisted. I consulted with my own doctor on this and he explained it to me like this:
Your sister’s cancer is like that of a submarine, it lays low at the bottom undetected, it’s silent and sinister, it attacks and destroys without notice and then it’s too late. I wish she could have been diagnosed alot earlier because then we might have had a chance for her, but her doctors have said we don’t know where the cancer originated at. All tests of her other organs and such all came back cancer free. I asked her doctors if this is hereditary? They said maybe, so I asked should I be tested? They said good luck, because no insurance company will pay for such a test and I couldn’t even afford to have one on my own. So I guess we just have to go through life with a submarine in our bodies without knowing it and wait for it to destroy because when it does, it’s already too late. I wish I could change the health insurance of this country but I’m only one person and I’m battling with the fact that I have to say good-bye to my big sister.
@Jon
Thanks for sharing and all our hugs and prayers for you, your son and your family.
We featured your story and ask others to join in at Avastin chemotherapy drug
@Darla
Thanks Darla for making the effort in sad times to update us.
Our prayers and condolences at : Condolence flowers for Darla
After my recent posting, i’m very saddened to tell you that my aunt passed away 10/28/08 from the stage four liver cancer. She became very weakened, could no longer eat, began to swell tremendously and was no longer putting out fluids and her nose began to bleed. I will keep everyone in my prayers that your answers and treatments are successful. God Bless you all who seek help.
I have a 7 yrs. old boy who has angiosarcoma in the liver, He has had his spleen removed and has been doing chemo now for about a year. Thank god he is not sick and he does not have many side effects. Just throughing this out there because I can not find out much about people having this type of cancer. Very rare..?? Prayers would be great and thanks..
@Darla,
Thanks for sharing, please share more of your experience and information on prostate cancer at prostate cancer symptoms.
We featured your story and explained what radiation pellets are in prostate cancer treatment options.
My uncle had prostate cancer in Feb 08 this year. He went to a dr that performed radiation therapy with some form of pellets. they were placed inside him accordingly to the size of the tumors size which was about 120 pellets. after the insertions, they gave off radiation for 2 weeks. yes it was painful. and he urinated alot and got two infections that required antibiotics. then the next visit he was cancer free. I hope and wish the best for all who are going through any of this. God bless you all!
My aunt on the other hand has stage four liver cancer.
I am praying for the best for her and all others going through this.
I have a question. My father has secondary liver cancer. It derived from testicular cancer that was not found in time after a year and a half complaining to doctors. The cancer sack broke the the cancer seeds went up. Therefore, he got liver cancer as well as prostate, bladder, both kidneys (one which was lost), he is talking very little about how things are going and he is doing self medications with adjusting his food intake. He has said no to chemo. My question is that the other day he had mentioned that he can no longer eat protein. Does this mean his liver is worse then he is letting on to believe, and that I will have less time then I am hoping to have. I would appreciate if you could help. I feel like I am doing this alone. My father feels he does not want to burden us. But I need to know.
Thank you for your time
Heather
Thanks Steve, this was father’s description made with a brain not always feeded with clean blood due to his failing liver. We clearly illustrated the above metastatic liver cancer scan in Where is the liver located where we added your view.
Your description of how to view the CT scan is incorrect. Its not looking down from above but looking from below and up. The liver occupies the right side predominately. Your description suggests its on the left hand side.
@Maria
The biopsy test will show if your mother has cancer or not.
In case of a tumor, pray it is only 1 and not as many as in the picture of my father.
Please keep us informed if you can and feel like it.
Hugs!
Thank you for this post, explaining the image was extremely helpful. My mother is awaiting a CT scan and biopsy among other tests and we are on pins and needles wondering if she has cancer. She has some of the symptoms, weight loss, loss of appetite, bump on right side below ribcage.