Any info for liver cancer?

Question

My father in law has a tumour,i think it's on the tube leading from the liver,if they tried to remove it there's a 50% chance he wouldn't survive the op. The docs given him 12 months. I have read liver cancer is the most fatal,with least chance of survival. If anyone has been through this,please can you give me some advice with what to expect. My husband is still hopeful,but i want to be well informed of the outcome so i can help,thanks.

I think they said inoperable,so i guess they are saying there's no point putting him through an operation he may not survive.

Answer 1

i am really sorry about your father in law honey, we have just lost a very close friend of the family to liver cancer, there may still be hope for your much loved father in law has he had chemo to try and shrink the tumour? this sometimes works, our friend was sent home at christmas and told he would not make the new year, he passed away in july so he proved them wrong, i really hope things work out for your father in law, but if it can not be cured then i will try to tell you what we saw when our friend died, it really was not as bad as some cancers ( we have a family history of cancers so i have seen a few people die with different sorts of cancer) all was not to bad untill the last few week there was minimal pain and the pain he did have was controled by morphine, the first sign we saw was as the tumour grew so did his stomach he looked like he was pregnant, the main thing we found was as his liver became infected with the tumour he did become confussed so we had to take over his medicine, he also developed an intolarence to salt so we had to make sure all his food was cooked from fresh so there was no salt added, the confussion we were told was because of the toxins that are usually sorted out by the liver were building up in his body and affecting his brain causing him to be confussed, he also had problems with his legs and walking became difficult, he also got tired very easily, the last 4 days he had left he was hevily sedated so he didn't feel any pain the only down side is we were told he would not know who was there but it was a bonus as he slipped away peacfully in his sleep, the hardest part was watching someone we loved becoming so confussed, he did have occasions when he would fall out of bed and wet or soil himself, it all sounds scary but it really is not as bad as it sounds, liver cancer can be one of the most fatal of cancers but please do not give up hope, we were lucky we had the suport of the macmillian nurses and we found acting normally and keeping our sense of humour really helped, i pray with all my heart that you don't have to go through this, but if you do stay strong, be there for your father in law, but just be reasured that if the end does come it will be peacefull and your father in law will not suffer. best of luck honey your all in my thoughts you can all get through this, it will amaze you how strong you can be. good luck to you and your family.

Answer 2

There are really 2 main kinds of primary liver cancer, these being HCC (Hepatocellular Carcinoma) and intra-hepatic cholangiocarcinoma. It sounds that it is most likely the latter, as you mention a "tube leading from the liver", which is a bile duct. These start in the liver, hence the intra hepatic, and it seems he has a cancer in there.

Sadly, treatment options are limited. Surgery is of course, the only treatment in these circumstances that can affect a cure. They normally need to take the bile ducts, and a portion of liver, but recurrence rates are high. If he has any significant co-morbidities then surgery is very risky. The other kind of primary liver tumour, HCC, surgery is often not possible as the liver is commonly cirrhotic, and may not be able to cope with removal of some of it. Chemotherapy is normally Gemcitabine, but the response rate is not that high. Photo Dynamic therapy (PDT) is an option at some centres.

The likely outcome is probably that the stent i presume he has in to help his jaundice will be changed if needed, and he will be followed up by the oncology team. Ask about potential trials that may be running in your local area, and contact the British Liver trust, and cancer Bacup if you need more information. You liver/biliary nurse at the hospital will be invaluable to you.

Best wishes.

Answer 3

There are some herbs that will help the liver regenerate and to be quite honest that is the best course of treatment. My father had liver cancer and it is not plesant. You absolutly need to prepare yourself and your husband for what is coming. Don't ever let him give up hope it is the only thing that kept us going some days. Never reside that this is the end, only God know's the days you have on this earth and he will have as many as he has been given, period. I will say this, there are MANY physical changes. Read anything you can because it is such an agressive disease and it is different in every patient. Unfortunately there is no timeline of events. It is painful, and you need to MAKE SURE there is a living will. They can live on life support for quite a while and it is not plesant (Been there). A living will is the ONLY piece of paper that will fully carry out your father-in-law's wishes in the event that he is unable to make coherent decisions for himself. If he is married don't make his wife do this, get a living will done NOW. Advance directives at the hospital are barely a piece of paper. That is the best advice I can give, I am sorry - I know what you are feeling and what you are about to go through - savor every moment. Don't allow the stress of the impending steal the time you have with him. Love on him as much as possible, you never get a second chance once they are gone. Best of Luck to you all.

Answer 4

I would say his chances are excellent. They don't do a liver transplant to someone having cancer unless they are pretty sure it is going to work out really well. If the cancer has spread anywhere else, they won't give a transplant, so that means the cancer is confined to the liver which is a good thing. They make sure the patient is healthy enough to withstand the surgery ahead of time through testing. If your father has already been accepted, that means they believe he is healthy enough which is another good thing. They have strict criteria for this type of surgery, so I think your father is going to do very good regarding his cancer after he receives a transplant. They wouldn't be doing this $300,000+ surgery for him if they thought it would fail.

Answer 5

More vitamin c that person is an idiot!!! My Mum was diagnosed with kidney cancer in may this year. When they found the cancer it had spread to the liver and lung. She past away in sept. Liver cancer is one of the worst, it makes you extremely nausea and unwell. Mums was very aggressive her tumor in the liver grew to 12 cm in two months.I am sorry to say your father in law will not survive and expect the worst. Sorry if that sounds harsh i just want you to know what i went thru, and it was hell.And if they have not operate and treatment has not been given i would say 6 months max. i waigh your family all the best,.

Answer 6

It's a frightening time for the family as well as for your father-in-law. If you are in the UK do contact Cancerbackup. email. [e-mail] They have loads of information and I'm sure will be able to help.
The outlook is not good, and whilst hope is a great thing, you are wise to be prepared for the worst. There is also a very informative and helpful free booklet available from Cancerbackup called End of Life. Not as grim as it sounds and very readable.

Answer 7

My heart goes out too you. The outlook is usually grim. Small hepatomas can sometimes be cured by surgical removal. There is no cure for secondary liver cancer, but anti-cancer drugs can slow the progress of the disease.
Warm Regards, Starlet..

Answer 8

Hi, I have done loads of research by just typing in to yahoo 'cancer of the liver' there are so many sites to go into and so much to learn about, even found pictures of operations, I have printed it all off so I could look in my own time and take it all in. Thanks for the beetroot question! Hope your research goes ok.

Answer 9

I've been through alot and seen alot and this does'nt look good for your Father InLaw.
Read up on it here
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&rls=com.microsoft%3A*%3AIE-SearchBox&rlz=1I7SUNA&q=liver+cancer

Answer 10

http://search.live.com/results.aspx?srch=105&FORM=AS5&q=liver+cancer