Secondry liver cancer(In need of help/advice please)

Ange1a · New User Joined: 01 Feb 2007 Posts: 1 Location: Wales UK

Hi My name is Angela.
My dad has been diagnosed with secondary liver cancer. He was given the all clear from bowel cancer a few months ago after being treated for it two years ago, but a routine scan recently found two tumours on his liver . They referered him to a liver specialist, who decided to send him for a pet scan.
The pet scan only showed one tumour so he decided to send him for another MRI scan. The consultant decided to go ahead with the operation.
Later that day I called to see how the operation went I was told that the operation was unsuccesful and the tumours could not be removed because the one tumour had spread more than he thought. so my dad went through a major operation, in pain was put on morphine for 4 days all this for nothing. I am confused upset and totally devastated . He has to wait a couple of weeks until he goes to see a Dr to discus possible Chemotherapy. Is there alternative treatment to help my dad other than chemotherapy,when treated for bowel cancer my dad had an allergic reaction to a tablet form of chemotherapy called Xeloda and nearly died
I'm desperate and grateful for any reply Crying or Very sad

Kindest regards
Angela

ehsanvan · New User Joined: 01 Feb 2007 Posts: 2

Hi angela

sorry to hear about your father
Im not an expert but as far as I know ,liver transplant
is the best option but unofrunately it is not possible to do this
In north america,I wouldnt waste the time with chemotherapy
,talk to your doctor andsee if liver transplant is an option.
China and Singapore are famous for doing these kind of surgeries(transplants).

THE 1

Angela,

I'm surprised how the Doctors went ahead with the surgery without properly comprehending the case. Usually Doctors are reluctant to begin a surgery in the first place, especially when the results of the PET/CT Scans are not very convincing. The most common treatment for unresectable tumors is chemo-embolisation. But since your dad has already undergone a major surgery, i'm not sure whether he's healthy enough to tolerate that or whether he even needs it anymore. There are a couple of Liver specialists (hepatologists) in the UK, i suggest you take your Dad's reports to one of them at King's College and get another opinion (cuz while i was getting opinions from all across the world for my mom's liver cancer, i came across this Dr. in UK who is a professor at King's College, i can't recall his name :-s , and he gave good advice)

as for Xeloda pills, they're still undergoing clinical study, some people have been cured, others were not, but their side-effects are quite frightening. There are others like Sorafenib, which again has several side-effects and no evident success rates.

anyways, best of luck.
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if GOD brings you to it, HE alone will bring you through it.

cjago · Regular Joined: 14 Jan 2006 Posts: 42

Angela - another possibility is radio-frequency ablation (RFA). You have a general anaesthetic and a fine needle inserted through a small incision, which is guided to the tumour by CT. Then the tip is heated up and the tumour effectively burned out. I have had it twice and been discharged the day after on each occasion (it's not a walk in the park though).

It can only be done when the tumours are small enough and, I think, not too close to one of the major arteries in the liver.

There is a bloke called Dr McCall at Chelsea & Westminster who is very good. I don't know how many people do it in the UK - I had a private referral.
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adenocarcinoma of the breast, now widely metastatic (stomach, liver, pelvis, pancreas, bones, skin)
survived 11 years so far

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