If bowel cancer has spread to the liver?

Question

can it ever be cured or will it just be treated, to give longer life expectancy?

Answer 1

Colon cancer which has spread to the liver is termed "metastatic". There are staging systems for each type of cancer which are used to stratify people into categories useful for estimating the course of disease and determining the best course of treatment. In general, once cancer has spread to a distant organ, it is considered Stage 4, the highest stage.

Colon cancer is common, and much research is constantly being done to improve our ability to care for these patients, and to control or remove the disease. When it is known that the cancer has spread to the liver already, even at the time of discovery of the initial cancer, we still remove the segment of colon with cancer in it as that segment will no doubt eventually become obstructed if we don't. Then we evaluate the liver.

At the time of surgery, we can inspect the liver visually and sometimes with ultrasound. This gives a little bit more information than we get by the initial CT scan. A CT scan picks up lesions that are more than about half a centimeter in diameter, but sometimes we look and see many other lesions that are much smaller. Other times, there appear to be none.

If a solitary liver metastasis is evident at the time of surgery, and if it's right against the edge of the liver where it could easily be removed, many surgeons will now remove it right at the time of initial surgery for the colon. This is a rare situation, however. More often there will be several identifiable tumors found on CT scan and they may be scattered in different regions of the liver. In that case, the surgery for the colon must be performed, and the liver must be addressed seperately, after the colon surgery has adequately healed.

The primary treatment for colon cancer which has spread to the body is chemotherapy. Chemotherapy for colon cancer is an ever-evolving science and has improved steadily over the years. It is now much more effective and much better tolerated than it was in the past. In many cases, it is clear that the tumors within the liver shrink dramatically.

Sometimes tumors that have spread to the liver can be removed surgically. The decision to operate on the liver is complicated, but the basic question is whether or not it is feasible to remove the section(s) of liver containing tumor without injuring major blood vessels within the organ and while leaving enough liver that the patient can be expected to function normally afterward. The good news is that the liver grows after it has been partially removed.

Sometimes the tumors are right up against big blood vessels and cannot be removed safely. There are still a number of options. One of the most interesting, in my opinion is called "radiofrequency ablation" or RFA.

RFA is a technology that involves placing a special device contained in a long needle into the center of a liver tumor. The device then delivers electrical current into the tissue and heats it to the point of cooking the tumor dead, right where it sits. The body then reabsorbs the protein crud left behind. This is a technology for killing tumors right where they live, and it is approved for the control of liver tumors like colon cancer metastasis, when surgical removal is not an option. In general, this procedure is well tolerated.

Another interesting technology is called hepatic artery chemo-embolization. This is a technique that benefits from the fact that metastatic tumors in the liver grow their own little vascular supply branches directly from the hepatic artery. Under guidance of xray, a thin tube is directed up the arteries from the leg, into the hepatic artery and then out the branch leading to the area of the tumor. Then, a hefty dose of chemotherapy is injected. This allows the value of the chemotherapy to be concentrated directly on the tumor instead of it being spread over the whole body. More powerful doses can be delivered with less side effect.

Very recently, a paper was published about how a group of surgeons is now treating the cancer in the liver even before they treat the cancer in the colon. They are demonstrating some very promising results, and its a novel approach. Personally I think they're nuts, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. All great thinkers are initially thought to be nuts!

In summary, there are a lot of options to work with, and the game isn't necessarily over. I won't lie to you, stage 4 cancer is a bad bad thing, and this will more than likely eventually be the cause of death. However, there may be more time than you think before that happens, and if you're lucky, it may be quite a bit more.

Realistic thinking is important, but so is hope.

Answer 2

First of all bowel and liver cancer go hand in hand with each other, so if you have bowel cancer you will also have liver spots. Did you know you can have the infected part of your liver cut away?, as its the only organ in your body that will grow back. My brother in law chose to go this way instead of chemo and is doing very well, with no sign of cancer any where. chemo is very harsh on the body so is she sure she wants to go down this path?.

Answer 3

If a person is diagnosed with Liver Cancer - its an open and shut case - the cancer is terminal and death is imminent. Radio and chemotherapy are useless against Hepatic Cancer - the only thing the medics can do is palliative pain relief - morphine etc.

Answer 4

Since it has already spread I would have to say it is not a good picture, however. I know many with cancer that were not given good odds and are now cancer free. Your dr is the best one to consult on this and it ain't over till its over. Hope is there as long as we have it. Dr's will usually be honest if there is hope.
As one here said, we're not the ones to give that advice. There are too many variable on this one!
Good luck, prayers and best wishes be with you and your love one

Answer 5

If the primary cancer has spread to cause a secondary cancer then it is improbable that there is a curative treatment. But for informed information I would go to the following website
www.cancerbackup.org.uk

Answer 6

You're asking what is literally a life-or-death question of a load of loafers who are mucking about on the internet instead of working (like me)?

Talk to a medical professional, or at the very least visit the NHS website: http://www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk/

Answer 7

I believe treated is it, but new things ae happening every day.

Answer 8

i thnk it cant be cured becuase it would be too dangerous to cut it out

Answer 9

stephen 3057 is right iam afraid

Answer 10

consult your doctor.