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Husband with liver mets

Keiracat
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My husband has liver mets from stage 4 bowel cancer. He was meant to have surgery but in 5 weeks the tumours grew back bigger than before the chemo. He has now been told he will go back on 3 months of chemo and maybe have to stay on it . The tumours are very responsive to chemo but as soon as it stops they start up again. I am terrified. How long can he live on chemo even with breaks. We have a young teenager.

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    hello Keiracat,

    l had something similar, diagnosed with bowel cancer with possible affected  lymph nodes so had radio/chemo prior to planned surgery.. Before this took place a pre op scan showed liver mets with further scanning showing they were very fast moving . Fortunately my liver surgeon won the argument with the bowel surgeon over who should get first crack. His post op comment was that had it have been left for a further two weeks he would not have been able to resect.

    Unlike my case where chemo had no effect on the liver mets, your husband is fortunate in that respect, so the hope will be that further chemo will beat the tumours back down to a size that allows enough recovery time for surgery to proceed successfully.

    l hope you will get all your specific questions answered by the professionals and that a little further along the line you get some better news since treatments continue to make progress with better success year on year,

                                                            David

  • Hello and thanks for your post

    I'm sorry to read about your husband. This must be a difficult time for you all.

    It is hard for us to answer questions like this as we are not involved in your husband's clinical care. His specialist team are better placed to advise you further on this as they are familiar with all his medical details. If he has a specialist nurse involved in her care then perhaps they can provide you with more information. You often have to call and leave them a message and they will get back to you. They are happy to speak to relatives provided they have the patients permission to do so. 

    Everyone varies in their response to chemotherapy. I imagine the doctors are hoping that your husband may respond to this additional chemotherapy. I'm afraid it won't be possible for them to say for sure. Some people may not get as good a response to their chemotherapy as was hoped whereas others will see an improvement in their symptoms, and it may extend their life. So, it will be a case of waiting to see what happens over time .

    I wonder if your husband has a Macmillan nurse involved in his care. Their area of expertise is in the management of cancer symptoms, and they provide emotional support to the patient and family. You can read more about their role by clicking here. The GP or the hospital can make the referral if your husband would like access to this service.

    I hope this is of some help. Please get back to us if you need any more information or support.  You may find it helpful to talk things through with one of the nurses on our helpline.  The number to call is Freephone 0808 800 4040 and the lines are open from 9am till 5pm Monday to Friday.

    Kind regards,

    Celene

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