Liver Cancer Stages

Question: what are the stages in liver cancer? is there a cure? if not, what is the current research?

Answer: Here are the guidlines for staging cancer. Each type of cancer has specific staging criteria. In general the different stages can be summarized as follows: Stage I: Localized and Resectable Tumor is found in one location of the liver and could be treated surgically. Stage II: Localized and Possibly Resectable Primary tumor is found in one or more locations in the liver and may be treated surgically. The decision to surgically treat the disease will depend upon the experience of the physician. Stage III: Advanced Cancer has spread to more than one location in the liver and/or to other parts of the body. Frequently requires multiple treatment modalities for maximum benefit. Often, surgical resection does not provide benefit to the patient. Stage IV: Disseminated Cancer involves multiple sites throughout the body. Frequently, surgery is not indicated and chemotherapy is the best option. This classification system is not standardized across all types of cancer, and each type of cancer has its own interpretation. Consult your physician for an exact interpretation of the stages and the letter designators as they apply to your diagnosis. Websites like WebMD.com and mayoclinic.com are usually the most helpful to me in finding medical information.

Question: Headaches and high fever with last stage of liver cancer, is this close to the end? My brother is in the last stage of liver cancer. He has a significant weight loss and is very jaundiced. The whites of his eyes are yellow. The past few days he has ran a high fever of 103 to 104 and having bad heaches. Was wondering if this is close to the end. If you have any info could you please tell me. Thank you.

Answer: It depends on what is causing that fever and if they can get it under control. I am guessing that it is probably near the end because infection is often what will cause the death at the end. A person is just too weak to fight off the infection. Since his temp is so high, this is probably what is happening. You don't give a lot of details, so I'm just going by what you are telling me. Since he is so jaundiced, the weight loss, the high fever, and knowing he has end stage cancer, I doubt if he will be able to live much longer. My heart goes out to you and your family.

Question: My sister was just diagnosed with the early stages of liver cancer. What can we expect? My 40-year-old sister had female cancer several years back and had to have a total hysterectomy. She has been sick for a few weeks and just had a kidney stone surgically removed. They found two cysts on her liver, two spots on her lungs, two spots on her bowels and one of her eyelids is drooping terribly. She has been in a lot of pain but since the kidney stone was removed is feeling somewhat better. A doctor visit today revealed that she is in the early stages of liver cancer. Anyone have any experience with this? Thank you.

Answer: Mimi - "Cysts" in the liver are more often benign while solid tumors are the opposite = filled with solid (white) areas on x-ray. If the liver spots are tumor, then they are possibly a spread of the original tumor in the uterus. There are mainly 2 different types of uterine cancer = squamous cell carcinoma of the cervix and adenocarcinoma of the lining of the body of the uterus. Each is different in its behavior. If her liver spots are cancer which has spread from the liver, there is a chance it has spread elsewhere. Further treatment and her remaining life can't be determined until the type of cancer, if any, is determined by a possible biopsy which can help determine if future chemotherapy will be of value. It's hard to know at this moment. Stay as positive as you can now while further evaluation continues. I pray you may be pleasantly surprised.

Question: With liver cancer, if your ALT rises from 44 to 95, does that mean that the liver is shutting down? My friend started with colon cancer, which spread to his liver (stage IV), for 6 months the doctor said the liver numbers were good. Then a month ago he was concerned because it rose to 44, and now it's 95. He's being vague about how serious that could be. At what point does the liver shut down, or is damaged to the point that death is around the corner?

Answer: I think those numbers go much much higher when the liver is shutting down. My oncologist assured me that 10 or 20 points higher than the normal range is nothing to worry about ... he sees numbers in the thousands with liver cancer cases.

Question: How long do you have to live with Stage Four Liver Cancer? he also has pancreaotic, lung and maybe bone cancer. anyone have any idea what the odds are?

Answer: I am so sorry to hear that. My uncle was past away last month due to liver cancer. It was only one month live after he was diagnose as liver cancer. He did surfer a lot before he leave.

Question: how long can someone live with stage 4 liver cancer? She is 82 yrs. old, she has diabetes, high blood pressure, sever dementia, high cholsterol, c-dif, sepsis, and a 9mm, mass on her liver that the doctors are 99% positive is liver cancer. How long can we expect her to live. We have chosen hospice care for her.

Answer: Are you sure the mass is 9 mm? That is so small it would be difficult to see on any scan. I suspect you mean 9cm. How do you know it is stage IV? We really don't have enough details here to give an educated answer. Her doctors who have all of the clinical information are the best people to make guesses. If she is referred for hospice, it means that her doctors expect less than six months survival. No doctor can ever predict the end for any person months in advance. We make estimates based on experience with many other people, but each person is different. If she does have bacterial sepsis, that could take her this week. No one can know the future.

Question: my mom has stage iv of liver cancer how many stages are they is this the las stage?

Answer: Everything BSherman says is correct. I can only add that my sis-in-law lived very comfortably in stage 4 liver cancer for 2 years. My heart is with you.

Question: Stage 4 liver and lung cancer, any one have any idea how long a person might live? My grandmother went into the hospital a couple weeks ago with confusion and incoherent behavior, they found her electrolites were low, and had to raise them slowly. She came back into her right mind, and during the tests they did in that time they found she had cancer in her liver and lungs. Tonight she went back into the hospital (after being home 2 days) far more confused and much more violently incoherent than before. I am assuming this is because her electrolites must be low again. (I dont know why or how they could drop so fast). The doctors have told us she has stage 4 cancer, and basucally to just keep her comfortable until she passes. Theyre doing more tests to find out how long that will be, but does anyone have any idea? The thought of her wasting away for months is horrid, even weeks in this state is more than i can handle. People should just lay down and die. This wasting away crap is bullshit. Wouldnt repeated severely low electrolyte levels suggest renal failure? She doesnt want treatment from what I understand. Iam sure that will make a difference. Just the fact that the doctors have basically said "take her home and let her die" says a lot.

Answer: I'm sorry about your grandmother. I knew someone who had lung cancer and was being treated fairly successfully for that. However, it spread to her liver. She died within 1 month of finding out. It was very, very quick. Again, I'm sorry .

Question: what can expect from the final stages of liver cancer? my dad has just been told that he has maybe 3 months to live. he has started to jaundice, and has been weak and not eating much for a little over a week. hospice will be called in next week. but we want to know what to expect. my grandma died of liver cancer and she just seemed to get sleepier and sleepier and died after about 3 to 4 weeks( from the time that symptoms like my dads came about) btw, he has gone through nearly 3 years of chemo and the doc has said that it likely wont help anymore.

Answer: Renee has some of them, but my experience is that it is often not a terrible way to go - and I've seen a couple thousand patients die of cancer over the years - - many with end stage liver failure. There may be pain from stretching of the liver capsule, but this should be well controlled with hospice - - those nurses are experts with narcotic pain regimens. Nausea and vomiting are not always found, but decreased desire for food is nearly universal. You can't force these people to eat, and you should not try. (Family members often make this mistake and try to force feed their loved ones.) Increasing weakness and debility will lead eventually to the person spending all of the time in bed. Towards the end, these people are usually not awake and coherent which is a blessing. They essentially die in their sleep. Breathing becomes irregular and then just stops. Comfort measures and expert pain control are the best treatment in these situations. Work with hospice. My best to you and the family.

Question: Where can I find info about stages of liver failure, my mother is in her last stages of cancer.? My mother has colon cancer and has been given a short amount of time left. Her liver has started shutting down and so far she has jaundice, where can I find more information about what to expect as it progresses.

Answer: Following surgical removal of colon cancer, the cancer is classified as stage IV (D) if the final evaluation shows that the cancer has spread to distant locations in the body, which may include the liver, lungs, bones or other sites. Patients diagnosed with stage IV colon cancer have been perceived to have few treatment options. Certain patients, however, can still be cured of their cancer, and others derive significant benefit from additional treatment. Patients with stage IV colon cancer can be broadly divided into two groups: those with cancer spread that is localized to a single site and those with more widespread cancer. While some progress has been made in the treatment of colon cancer, better treatment strategies are clearly needed, as the majority of patients still succumb to the cancer. Future progress in the treatment of colon cancer will result from continued participation in appropriate clinical trials. There are several areas of active exploration aimed at improving the treatment of colon cancer Treatment of stage IV and recurrent colon cancer may include the following: Resection/anastomosis (surgery to remove the cancer or bypass the tumor and join the cut ends of the colon). Surgery to remove parts of other organs, such as the liver, lungs, and ovaries, where the cancer may have recurred or spread. Radiation therapy or chemotherapy may be offered to some patients as palliative therapy to relieve symptoms and improve quality of life. Clinical trials of chemotherapy and/or biologic therapy. Treatment of locally recurrent colon cancer may be local excision. Special treatments of cancer that has spread to or recurred in the liver may include the following: Radiofrequency ablation or cryosurgery. Clinical trials of hepatic chemoembolization with radiation therapy. Patients whose colon cancer spreads or recurs after initial treatment with chemotherapy may be offered further chemotherapy with a different drug or combination of drugs. This summary section refers to specific treatments under study in clinical trials, but it may not mention every new treatment being studied. Information about ongoing clinical trials is available from the NCI Web site. Changes Look on the website http://www.plwc.org for more information on the symptoms of stage 4. Best of luck and you and your mother are in my thoughs.

Question: What is the possibility of beating stage 4 liver cancer? My brother has it. And he just had surgery for his colon, which he had cancer there as well.

Answer: ill Pray your Brother to get well soon... i hope after this a few hours later or tomorrow.. your worried is no more..

Question: How long do doctors give someone to live who has been diagnosed with stage 4 liver cancer ? Thank God this is not me, don't freak out Robin. It is someone I work with and hate to see go through this. Thank you.

Answer: Normally my answer would depend on the type, and aggressiveness of the cancer. Stage four liver cancer is very serious, and usually fatal, within a few months at the most. Stage four means that the cancer has spread to other parts of the body, such as the stomach, intestines, lungs, bones etc. Here are some useful links for you. In the weeks ahead just be a caring and supportive friend and co-worker.It's more important than you know.

Question: If you have liver cancer will a biopsy increase the cancer stage? I'm afraid of the biopsy.

Answer: No, it will not increase the cancer. Getting a biopsy is the most important test you can get to determine the best course of treatment. I have had 3 liver biopsies done and they didn't hurt me at all. It was nothing. I had cirrhosis and not cancer. I also had a liver transplant.

Question: Can Tian Xian Liquid cure lung and liver cancer stage 4 ?

Answer: No scientific documented evidence exists that proves the liquid 'cures' cancer or if there is any 'benefit' to taking it. Clinical studies using human beings have failed to confirm efficiacy. Internet claims have been primarily focused on advertising and marketing with no reliable source to back them up. Before trying out any product it is best to check with your oncologist as sometimes mixing unknown liquids like this can produce unexpected side effects. The product basically exists to sell and so there is no regulation or inspection to see if the product is the same from bottle to bottle or if there are any safety issues to be concerned about. It is buyer beware. Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center: Tian Xian http://www.mskcc.org/mskcc/html/69397.cfm

Question: what is the stages of the liver cancer? and can any body suggest the publish research about it?

Answer: http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/types/liver/ This site provides much information. All information is referenced regarding published research. Blessings

Question: My friend has stage iv liver cancer. What can I expect in the last days? How can I help him most? Should I bring him home to die, leave him in the hospital or put him in a nursing home? Can I care for him at home?

Answer: just talk to him and make Sheree you dont make him feel handy cap try to avode his cancer i have lug cacer and im 14 and im tyered of people telling me how bad they feel for me i just want to have peiople talk to me normaly