Liver Cancer Life Expectancy

Question: what is the normal life expectancy with liver cancer?

Answer: here's the best answer yet -- a lady who has posted on the below forum has been through 14 years with Stage IV breast cancer and she's doing just fine: "16 Jan 2007 07:21 PM Come January 15, I will be a fourteen year survivor of metastatic breast cancer. I can't believe that even as I write it. I was first diagnosed in 1988, at 32. When the cancer came back, to the bone, five years later it came on so hard, I was given a year or two to live. I had a really rough time the first two years. Hormone treatments weren't working and then, weirdly, things turned around and they were. I had a stem cell transplant in 1995. Since then, I've been on hormones and xeloda. In the time I've had stage four cancer, I've fallen in love. I wrote a book, am about to publish a second one, lived for a year in India and learned to speak Hindi, lost both parents, gained so many good friends. learned so much. I guess what I'm saying is that, even with Stage 4, I've had a full life. I wanted to come on here and tell people all this. There really wasn't any reason to hope fourteen years ago--the cancer was breaking bones, was uncontrollable. Then, suddenly, there was. You just can't give up hope. You can't know what is going to happen. You can't go on statistics, In your darkest times, try and remember that cancer is mysterious and that that can work in your favor. It can get mysteriously get better. Wishing everyone here health, love, peace, and hope. Much love, Kathy" http://community.breastcancer.org/topic/8/conversation/507238

Question: What is the estimated life expectancy of a 2 year old child who has had liver cancer & transplant? He also has to go thru chemo and can't keep his anti-rejection meds down. His incision is still leaking bile and they won't start chemo until it's healed completely.

Answer: ask your Onocologist I'm sorry for your son's problem.. HUGS

Question: In the last eight months, liver cancer, bone, and now adrenalin gland. Is my life expectancy getting shorter? I am happy and having a great time. It's not getting me down, it's just pissing me off that it's happening when my career is soaring and I enjoy the island very much. Thanks to all who answered and e-mailed me. Time to plan a mega party. More on that later.

Answer: Sounds like you may have immune system problems. however, they say laughter is a real good medicine in the cancer treatment. My personal opinion, not based on heavy research, is that cancer happens in bodies that are Acidic. you can test this with litmus paper. if you are I suggest moving you eating habits that balance your PH or move it to the alkaline side.

Question: what is the life expectancy of a person with colon cancer that has spread to both her liver and lungs? my aunt has colon cancer that has spread to both her liver and lungs and she has diabetes...im really scared of loosing her because ive read that once cancer reaches the liver theres not much chance of recovery...i just want to know how much more time i have to spread with her...

Answer: hey man, she'll probably go pretty quick, but thats only what doctors say. your aunt will not die until God says its her time. We once had a close family friend with cancer. the doctors said he would last between 2 weeks and one month. he survived for 18 months before he passed. spend as much time with her as possible!

Question: Can somebody update me on the real life expectancy of a 78 yr old with stage IV esophageal and liver cancer? My father has been diagnosed with Stage IV Esophageal and Liver Cancer in May of this year. He is currently finishing his second round of chemotherapy. He has told me the oncologist doesn't see either radiation or surgury as an option. I was wondering if anybody could give me more current information regarding pro longing his life? What I should expect, etc? How long do patients really live with current treatment options? Please don't ask me why I don't ask him, talking to him about this is morbid at best. Thanks for any help :-)

Answer: If he is receiving a single agent chemo the response is about 2-5 months. A multi agent chemo has a median response of about 7 months. You can go on an appointment with him or ask your dad to give his oncologist permission to speak to you and you can discuss your concerns directly with the doctor. This makes it a little easier for both you and your dad. Oncologists are usually very kind and are used to explaining things to family members – it’s a big part of their job. Best wishes.

Question: What is jade goodys life expectancy now? If her cervical cancer has spreaf to her bowel groin and liver?w?

Answer: Not good. She's just had 'life saving surgery' on her bowel. Max Clifford, her publicist, said yesterday that she has gone public about it all to make other women aware and to raise money for her boys who will soon be without a mother.

Question: What is the average life expectancy for someone with liver failure? Someone I know who recovered from stage 3 breast cancer, and has naropothy, type 2 diabetes, and an unhealthy diet was called by her doctor at 8:30 sat morning to be told that she would need to get dialysis because her liver is failing. Can you donate half your liver to someone? I would give her mine if I were a match. I just don't know if it would save her or just prolong the inevitable.

Answer: Your friend will need to get an evaluation done at a transplant center to find out if she would qualify to receive a transplant and whether or not it might be an option for her. They will not accept her for transplant unless they feel the surgery would greatly benefit her and save her life. If she was accepted, you could then discuss with her doctors and transplant coordinator your offer to donate to her. Before making your offer, I suggest you educate yourself as to what is involved in donating a part of your liver to her. It's a very serious surgery that needs serious consideration. You have to be in excellent health, have a compatible blood type, and be similar in body size plus pass an evaluation in order to donate to anyone. I think it's very giving of you to even consider doing such a wonderful thing. Take it a step at a time and first find out where she stands on getting a transplant at all first, then take it from there. She may need both a liver and kidney transplant from what information you have given.

Question: Life expectancy for Carcinoid cancer? Im 24 years old and have Carcinoid cancer. Found out when I was 18. Had a whipple surgery done and still have it on my liver. Just wondering what an average life span is.

Answer: A good place to ask your question would be the ACOR carcinoid list. They currently have 748 members either with carcinoid or are caregivers. For a while my Drs suspected that I had a carcinoid tumor and while I was monitoring this list I found many very smart people there who were really up on the latest carcinoid treatments. ACOR runs lists for over 150 types of cancer and these lists are moderated to keep out spam and nut jobs. http://listserv.acor.org/archives/carcinoid.html good luck

Question: secondary liver cancer? my step dad has secondary liver and adrenal cancer, originating from esophageall cancer. His liver nodes were discovered about a month ago and he is not willing to discuss his "life expectancy" Does any one have experience with this and know how much longer I may be graced with this man's presence in my life?

Answer: Not to scare you are anything but value each day you spend with your step dad like it was your last. My nephews grandma was diagnosed with liver cancer about 1-2 months ago and they gave her 6 months to live and they offered no treatment cause the cancer was far to advanced and I hate to say this but she passed away 5 days ago.So it all really depends on the person in some case some people live longer then the exspected time. Just make time to spend with him everyday and prepare your self for his death.

Question: Life Expectancy for Stage IV Metastatic Esophageal Cancer? My fil has been diagnosed with stage iv esophageal cancer which has metastasized to his liver and stomach. They put in a stent so he can swallow but still really doesnt eat much other than soft foods & ensure shakes...they did radiatoin but at this point are not doing chemo. Anyone know anyone with simiar situation? My inlaws do not want to ask how much time he has left and wont let us ask doctor's either but I want to know what to expect. My mil takes care of him around the clock and is running herself into the ground in the process and is fighting letting us help. How do I get her to let us get involved?

Answer: Life expectancies are averages and everyone is a little bit different. Some people die within weeks of diagnosis, others live several months and a very small percentage of stage IV esophageal cancer patients defy the odds and go into remission. In short, no one can give you an accurate assessment of how much time he has left. As far as your mother in law is concerned, letting her know that you are there for her and will be happy to help if needed is enough. Some people just want (or try) to take care of their loved one on their own. It's therapeutic in some ways, but can become just too much of a burden, especially if the patient lingers. But, that is her decision to make. Good luck and God bless.

Question: Liver Cancer Questions? Earlier this year my aunt was diagnosed with liver cancer. She's had some surgeries to remove a large part of the tumor and some lymph nodes, but the doctors have found that the cancer has sort of "swiss-cheesed" itself through out her liver for want of a better descripiton. They're waiting until she heals more after the last surgery to decide if they want to try chemo or radiation. Obviously we're hoping for the best, but we all know that liver cancer is most often terminal. My aunt and uncle are reluctant to discuss anything other than recovery, but can someone give me a realistic life expectancy for her if the chemo or radiation is unsuccessful?

Answer: To answer that question properly, one would need a lot more information. And, even at that all you can do is give averages. For example, for a particular kind of brain cancer the average expectancy is 13 months after diagnosis, but some people die in a few weeks and some live for years. There's really no way to say for certain, especially without knowing more specific details about your aunt's case.

Question: what is the difference between liver disease? and liver cancer and if left untreated what is the life expectancy of a patient once diagnosed.a person i know is showing all the signs of the disease but is refusing medical help i just wanted to now how long it will take to kill her if i show her this she may realise that it is time to get help

Answer: There are many causes of liver disease: alcohol consumption, medication toxification, chemical exposure, hereditary conditions, auto immune diseases, biliary obstruction or mal formation, viral hepatitis, fatty liver disease, metabolic disorders, and others. With liver disease, the cause of the problem causes damage to the liver cells. When there is damage to the liver cells, the immune system of the body responds to this and cause inflammation to develop in the liver. If the cause is known and stopped and the inflammation is treated...this can be reversed and the liver cells can heal. However, if this isn't done...it can lead to the death of the liver cells and become a progressive disease until the whole liver is consumed...this is known as cirrhosis of the liver. This is quite different than cancer. Cancer is the multiplying, out of control, of the cells of an organ. These form into tumors. If they are just in the liver...the doctors may have them removed, try to stop the blood flow to them so they will die off, or use radiation and chemo to kill them. They have treatments now that can direct the radiation and chemo directly to the tumor itself...so it protects the surrounding tissues. However, if the tumor is malignant...that means that some of the cells can break off and go to other areas of the body and multiply there. This becomes more serious of nature if this happens...it is best to try to do something about this growth before it has a chance to go to another area. Some cancers are very slow growing and others are very fast. Some people think they have cancer and it turns out to be just a cyst or benign growth. It is best to be checked. I hope this information is of some help to you. Only the doctors can give a patient an estimate of how long they have to live and many times they are not even sure. They have there past medical history, know there other medical problems, and can see alot more from the testing done to determine how far the disease or cancer has advanced. I hope this information has been a help to you.

Question: Do you think if you start drinking late in life......? you would have a better chance of NOT ruining your liver? Say you really did not drink until your 40's. And your life expectancy is 80. And you are a social drinker? What do you think? Do you think drinking promotes liver cancer??

Answer: As long as you are a social drinker, you more than likely won't ruin your liver whatever age you start drinking. The only time you really have to worry about liver damage is when you drink excessively and the liver doesn't have the ability to process the alcohol quick enough.

Question: Double my rats life expectancy? Is this for real? http://ezinearticles.com/?Recent-Discovery-By-Cancer-Researchers-Can-Double-the-Life-Expectancy-of-Your-Pet-Rats&id=232695 Website says: A recent huge breakthrough was the discovery that rats given a supplement called Inositol (chemical name Inositol hexaphosphate or IP6) had almost double the normal life expectancy as rats in a control group and almost never got cancer! Inosital comes from high fiber foods such as brown rice, wheat bran and sesame seeds. The net result for your rattie is fewer cancerous tumors and a higher degree of overall health, since the study found that it aids your rattie's body in its metabolism for healthier bone marrow, liver functioning, calcium absorption, and a few other things. Has anyone tried this stuff? Is it expensive? Does it work?

Answer: Interesting! Here's the link to wikipedia about Inositol. I've only used it for one thing, and it wasn't healthy and that was decades ago. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inositol I'm more into figuring out things naturally thru diet if I can, but it sure would be nice to have a fuzzlet live for 6 years instead of the average 2 years.

Question: If bowel cancer has spread to the liver? can it ever be cured or will it just be treated, to give longer life expectancy?

Answer: 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.

Question: Time frame for Esophageal Cancer? I know the survival rate is quite low as I have read online in many different places, but can someone tell me the average life expectancy from time of diagnosis... weeks, months, years, and what to expect.... given the circumstances that he's otherwise currently a quite healthy 47-50 y/o male. As it has only been days since knowledge, I am assuming he is in stage 4 as the cancer is also in the lungs, liver, and lymph-nodes. Please let me know what to expect, how ill will he get, etc etc. Thanks so much for any information.

Answer: Since diagnosis has been recent, there is absolutely no way of knowing this information. Much depends upon what type of treatment the patient undergoes, his individual response to the treatment, his overall health, the location of the tumors in the body (do they invade major organs or structures) and probably a good deal of luck. Stage 4 disease is the most difficult to treat . . but it can be treated successfully. There is not a cancer out there in any stage or tumor grade that someone, somewhere has not survived. So, the first thing you should do is not listen to statistics or prognosis. Concentrate on learning as much as you can about the disease. Do not be afraid to read all the material. Read as much as you can, ask the oncologists question, make sure you locate an oncologist that you thoroughly trust and is willing to go to bat for the patient. You also need to have an oncologist who is totally honest with you. It will be quite a fight, but it can be done. Here are some sites with resources, esophageal cancer support groups, and information about Esophageal Cancer. MedlinePlus: Esophageal Cancer http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/esophagealcancer.html NCI: Treatment for Esophageal Cancer http://www.cancer.gov/cancerinfo/pdq/treatment/esophageal/patient/ American Cancer Society: What is cancer of the esophagus http://www.cancer.org/docroot/cri/content/cri_2_4_1x_what_is_esophagus_cancer_12.asp?sitearea=cri Esophageal Cancer Support Groups http://groups.msn.com/EsophgealCancerChatandSupport/ Esophageal Cancers Discussion List http://listserv.acor.org/archives/ec-group.html Esophageal Cancer Education Foundation http://www.fightec.org/ Good luck to you.