Liver Cancer Surgery

Question: Liver Cancer Surgery ? My Brother in Law have liver cancer and he is going into surgery the 14 , The doctor told him before that he just going to cut part of the liver out , but now he is saying the tumor is on the left/ or right side ( I am not sure ) where all the blood vessels located , so he have to open up to see , if the tumor is located near blood vessels then he can't remove it . I am wondering how dangerous is this surgery and what are the chances that it may fail ? Also the doctor told my sister they can't provide a translator at the day of the surgery and NEED a family member who speak English to be there , so now my sister insist me to go back for a day ( I live in another state ) Why would the doctor not to provide a translator and said that to my sister ?

Answer: I can not see why the hospital would not provide a translator. Is it that there is not one available? If one is not available at that time or that day then I think it is only right SOMEONE who speaks English be there. Otherwise they could say something she may not understand. I don't mean to sound nasty but why hasn't anyone in the other state took the time to learn English if you are living in America? These things are import. They have numerous classes available. Hind sight is 20/20.

Question: when preparing for a liver transplant surgery due to stage 3 liver cancer, when do you start medicating? do you start taking ant-rejection medication prior to having the surgery, if it were scheduled for july 7, would you start on it in mid may?

Answer: This is something you should discuss with your doctor.

Question: how often should you have a pet scan after a liver resection surgery for cancer?

Answer: My dad had throat cancer and reconstructive surgery. His first PET scan was 6 months after surgery, then another 6 months later. Now he does not need to go again for 12 months.

Question: What is the best method of finding a job after recovering from a major surgery? I just had liver cancer surgery about three months ago and was just recently cleared to enter the workforce again. However, I do feel that I am starting over again and was wondering if anyone has any advice to give on what avenues to take to get my professional life back on track.

Answer: Do as you would do if you didn't have the surgery. Leg work, sending/faxing resumes, checking the computer for jobs, using the different job options (i.e., Monster job.Com) and networking. Good luck, hope you find a job.

Question: My father in law went in for surgery today to remove liver cancer....they couldn't operate cause cancer spread throughout his body.....My husband is at work right now and his mom wants me to wait for him to come home and break the news.......How do i do this keep in mind his dad is only 47 and he has 2 months to live iffffffffffff that maybe less

Answer: I'm going through the same situation with my Dad. This is his third bout with cancer. One prostate and two with colon, he has a colostomy. I'm here typing with tears in my eyes knowing what your husband and family is going through. Nine, yes nine years ago they told us that they would try to keep him with us through Christmas. Well he is getting by with struggles, but he's getting by. There is so much to fight for, but each individual and situation is different. As suggested by Inverse Mushroom, if he has any fight left, drop that two month thing like a hot potato, there are other options. http://www.cancercenter.com/ http://health.usnews.com/usnews/health/best-hospitals/search.php?spec=ihqcanc The body is truly remarkable, one should not underestimate the power of prayer and what can happen with the right attitude, not only from the patient but the support network too. God Bless your father in law and family, ;-) Edit: Thanks, Lyn. ;-)

Question: my wifes mom,79, was told she has liver cancer/can inducing hypothermia help in surgery?has high blood press. are there any machines that can perform the functions of a bad liver. My mother-in-law lives in Thailand. i can be reached by fax also @ 304 723 3777

Answer: Is she having surgery? If so, that is good. I have put a link to a comprehensive explanation of liver cancer put out by the government. It is really good. Even if the cancer can't be fully cured, there are cases where it can be manged and treated for years.

Question: do you know what site I can get pics of liver damage caused fr chemo for colon cancer? I had colon cancer surgery and am taking chem treatments my liver count is up can you tell me a site to see pictures of liver damage from taking chem

Answer: What makes you think chemo is damaging your liver or that it would be visible? Your doctor is not giving you chemo to kill you.

Question: living donor liver transplant with liver cancer patient? my grandma has cancer in her liver. why cant I give her half of my liver? i know it's a serious surgery, but i'd be willing to do it, can anyone tell me if it's possible? because her oncologist says it's not...and I don't understand why.

Answer: Oh, I'm so sorry. I had a friend with liver cancer, and wondered the same thing. The answer is: it's impossible to get all of the cancer out, so if the person has a liver transplant, the cancer will spread to the transplant and you'll be back where you started with the same problem, only things will be worse because the patient will be taking immunosuppressants to prevent rejection of the donated organ, so they won't be able to fight off the cancer as well. It will spread more quickly and they'll die anyway. Another reason is that with liver cancer, they're already quite weak, so they might not survive the strains of the transplant, meaning they'll die earlier than they would have had the transplant not been done. Just love your grandmother and say everything you want to say to her. Leave nothing unsaid, and make sure she knows how much you love her.

Question: I want to be a donor for my baby's liver transplant. How can I lose weight quickly to be ready for the surgery The baby is six months old and has liver cancer. I am a 36 year old fat guy who is in relatively good health other than the weight. I have about three months to lose weight before I am suitable as a donor. I want to save my son's life but I'm about 40 pounds overweight. I'm working out and dieting pretty strenuously, but I want to do more. Any ideas?

Answer: 40 pounds in three months is quite a task. I would talk to a nutritionist and explain the situation to them. With their supervision you'll have a better chance of success and be assured you'll be in good health. You wouldn't want to go through all of that and then have other health issues that would exclude you from surgery. You certainly have the motivation and I wish you and your son the best.

Question: I'm really scared to get surgery on my liver!!! Please can anyone help me calm down?!? Im really scared right now. I'm only nine! Can anyone help calm me down. I'm really scared and i never likes the hospital. Please... I have liver cancer they said. Without this surgery I could... I could...

Answer: awww hunni its ok calm down... u will be ok... they will take great care of you there and they wouldnt do anything to hurt you. Just think of something you love like going to the beach or something and wat u like doing on the beach or anything and jus relax u will be fine!

Question: What is Metastatic Liver cancer? Can I survive with the latest medicine today? I was diagnose with Advance Rectal Cancer that spread to my Liver and to my lympnodes. Also a tumor that totatlly block my anus that why the doctor give me a colostomy surgery.

Answer: Sorry to hear your diagnosis. Metastatic liver cancer is cancer in the liver that has spread there from another location. In this case, your colo-rectal cancer spread to your liver. Cancer that has metastasized almost never can be cured, but chemotherapy, radiation, or perhaps surgery can sometimes control symptoms and extend your life.

Question: my father in law had surgery for cancer on his esophagus and lung.now on his liver.is chemo a good idea?

Answer: No, its not necessary at all. Its too draconian a procedure to undergo, there are other options. These links might help you. http://www.cancertutor.com/ http://www.scribd.com/doc/14150181/Why-Doctors-Do-Not-Take-Chemo http://www.naturalnews.com/027526_Suzanne_Somers_curing_cancer.html http://www.naturalnews.com/026322_Macrobiotic_Diet_cancer_food.html

Question: My aunt had surgery for her colon cancer, but now there's cancer lesions on her liver. Is it curable? She's in a hospice program for the terminally ill because they say there is no cure for colon cancer. If there was no cure, what is the chemotherapy for? How much time does she have left? http://www.webmd.com/colorectal-cancer/guide/treatment-stage?page=2 This site says the 5-year survival rate for Dukes D Colon Cancer is about 8%. Does that mean only 8% of the people live past five years?

Answer: Unfortunately, if you're aunt has lesions in her liver, then her cancer is most likely incurable. It means that it has metastasized (spread from her bowel to liver). The reason they are offering chemotherapy is that chemo can be used even in palliative patients to slow progression, but primarily to reduce symptoms. i.e. If someone has a cancer in their throat that has spread to their liver, chemo may be offered to slow the growth of the cancer in their throat so they can continue to eat alone without the aid of medical devices. Your interpretation of the 5 year survival rate is correct.

Question: Inoperable liver cancer from colon cancer? My father-in-law has been diagnosed with colon cancer and secondary liver cancer. He has just had surgery to remove the affected part of his colon, but the liver cancer is inoperable. He will undergo radiation and chemotherapy once he recovers from the surgery. The doctor has said, depending on how he responds to treatment, that he may have as little as 2 months or as long as 5 years to live. My question is regarding my husband. He lost his mother to breast cancer 9 years ago and now he is going through it all over again with his father. I know he is hurting, but he's very unwilling to talk about it. He and his father are very close. On top of it all, he is now becoming pessimistic about his own health, knowing that both of his parents will have died young. I am doing the best I can to imagine how he is feeling, but I know I can't really understand. Can anyone offer any advice on things I should say to him? I have tried optimism, but he doesn't want to hear it.

Answer: The best thing you can do for him right now, is just to be there when he wants to talk, if he needs a hug, or some encouragement. He probably already realizes he's going to lose his father and it's a bit much for him right now. Do what you can to help his father out in any way, ask him(or his Dad) what you can do, anything you can do, and it will go a long way with your husband. If he wants a little space right now, give him some, let him spend as much time with his father as he can...little things that will mean a lot once his father passes.

Question: I would like to know if anyone has had a cat with cancer? What was the outcome if you had surgery done? I have a nine year old female cat that has one large lump with several small lumps around it and this lump is red and she also has another lump that is sort of black in color. I had her to the vet and she is pretty sure that it is cancer. She said that she could do radical surgery on both lumps and she would probably be alright. She also said that it could come back in 6 months to a year. The cost is $600.00. We just had another cat put down in April it had liver disease and we spent almost $600.00 to make him confortable before we put him down and he was 12 years old. It was really hard on me to put him down so I am beside myself what to do with this other cat. I also have a cat that is 23 years old and he is doing pretty good for as old as he is. I would appreciate knowing if anyone else had a cat with lumps on the belly and you had the surgery what the outcome was. I know a few people that had dogs with cancer and in the end after surgery they still had to be put down.

Answer: I had a cat with tumours in her mammary area. I think it cost around 700 to have her operated on. It was a hard decision as we were sort of strapped at the time, but she was fairly young (about 4 I think), and she was a great cat. Also I just couldn't think of how to tell the kids I was willing to let their cat die, so I elected to have the surgery done. However, it was going to be another 100 for the pathology work and I didn't have that done because it wouldn't make any difference to our subsequent decisions. The cat lived another 10 or 12 happy years.

Question: Liver cancer - secondary? Dad will be 87 in a week. He had surgery for colon cancer last year. Nov. CAT scan showed a 3cm tumor in his liver. As of April/08 it is 5.1cm x 4.1. He is not going to treat it. So far, so good; he feels fine. He lives on his own. From your experience, what can we expect re: symptoms and general time frame. The websites I found don't deal with non-treated cancer. Doc told me not to concern myself with hospice at this time; that Dad's overall condition is okay. Thanks.

Answer: Your dad has metastatic carcinoma in the liver from primary colon adenocarcinoma. Tumor has already spread beyond the primary site. It is not a good sign. Doctor may not give any treatment considering his age. He already had big colon resection surgery for cancer. Now he may not be able to tolerate any other cancer treatment for metastatic. Doctor may closely follow up his condition and when time comes may consider to put him hospice.