willow
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Thanks for the link and thoughts. I posted on the topic “what’s my label?” To try to figure out what stage my sister is. They didn’t tell her. Perhaps it’s not a true staging without “opening her up” to clinically see things.
Does anyone know what stage it is if there are only local tumors in liver and one invading the portal vein? (No distant mets). The main liver tumor is under 4×4 mm. Possible positive local lymph nodes (not confirmed on PET, but enlarged).
That’s great news, Kris! Thanks for sharing your experience and results. That really is nice to know that the stereotactic radiation is working so well! How is that administered? Did they open you up surgically or just make tiny laparoscopic incision? Or is it like external beam? Also, were your “clips” from chemo embo or radio embo?
It’s hard to change gears and just accept the mindset to treat this as a “chronic illness”, but that’s what it is in reality. I hate that they say you can not to repeat the radiation to those areas later if needed. My sister is in a similar situation, but being offered radioembolization. She was only diag. in Aug and has had only 5 chemo treatments so far, but they need to move fast on the tumor in her portal vein. They at first said chemoembo, then quickly ruled that out and moved to radioembo as the next step. They said that radiation to that area closes the door to resection/transplant forever and it’s a “one time only” option for the tumor in her portal vein (it’s right where it branches into the left and right), but it sounds like it can definitely buy her some time. Like you, she is in decent health, relatively young (50) and has much to live for! Peace to you and again, so glad that you had some success! It DOES give hope!Laurie,
My condolences on the loss of your dear husband, Dan. Peace be with you and your family.
WillowI agree with the others that you should wait to be referred to the oncologist (and perhaps other specialists in their group) to find out what ideas they have for your Dads treatment. My thoughts are with you. I know how much shock and fright you are feeling. I am struggling with the same emotions (including occasional panic). Like those who have been dealing with this longer, they say that once a plan is in place your “fright turns to fight”. This even applies when the treatments are not curative. Best to you, and do enjoy your little ones! They need you too.
WillowEli,
That does make sense. We were wondering why they couldn’t just do a blood vessel bypass and cut out the damaged tissue, but the Dr said something to the effect that there wouldn’t be any appropriate tissue to reattach the healthy part of the portal vein to at the left lobe of the liver (the left lobe of the liver has no tumors).They could have done the resection right off the bat, before the tumor grew into the left branch of the portal vein, but he said it was likely that “cancer seed cells” may have been carried into the left “healthy” lobe of the liver already since the tumor was within a blood vessel. The goal of chemo was to kill these seed cells as well as to shrink the tumor thrombus away from the left branch of the portal vein. I think the surgeon wanted to preserve the left branch of the portal vein along with the left lobe of the liver. Now they say that won’t be an option. We are really, really disappointed (that’s an understatement!).
