Hello Kylie,

                   l appreciate how stressful this news is for you and your Mum with all the unknowns in front of you

l went through very similar ten years ago, and what l read in your post would seem a very sensible approach in that any spread could continue to spread from the original tumour. In my case after pre surgery chemo and radio therapy l was scheduled for bowel resection of the original tumour followed by an 8 week recovery before liver surgery to remove lesions.

In the event this changed a few weeks before my first operation date and things were switched about and l had the liver op first since the spread continued and threatened the safe margins of being able to do so .The bowel resection followed some ten weeks later followed by post op chemo infusion and tablet

The thing here is to remember the important things. There is no universal right or wrong direction of treatment, just the best way to use the available assets tailored to the individual patient.

The treatment plan can change due to the constant monitoring of the patients condition

Monitoring spots changes but also provides a greater depth of understanding of how treatments can be tweaked to gain maximum impact and enhance recovery

Initial treatment is the start point of what can be an evolving situation and each case is constantly monitored by your MDT team with current treatment regime inspected to be assessed as being still effective

My case would seem to go some way to answer your concerns over your mothers liver mets getting bigger. The MDT team were aware of my risk, monitored the situation whilst the treatment shrank the original tumour, noted increased spread to liver mets shown by regular scans, confirmed by pet scan, changed surgery schedule to best tackle the overriding priority.

As a result of the professional standards of all those involved in the MDT and the aftercare from all those agencies such as MAGGIES l am able to write this today leading a very full and active life with more energy than those around me of half my age, l was 62 when first diagnosed.

l realise this post may not diminish completely your concerns but hopefully will point to waymarkers to look for in what could be a hard journey back to recovery for your Mum and help you realise that it is possible,

                                        Take care,

                                                               David

Hi Kylie and thank you for posting.

I am sorry to learn of your mum's situation this must be a difficult time for you all.

As information nurses not involved in your mum's care, we cannot give a medical opinion. The best person for your mum to clarify this would be her specialist or nurse specialist.

Chemoradiotherapy is one of the main treatments for rectal cancer. Radiotherapy uses radiation to destroy the cancer cells and targets the site of the rectal cancer and chemotherapy uses anti-cancer drugs which makes the body more sensitive to radiotherapy.  

Chemotherapy works by going around the whole body (systemic treatment) to destroy all cancer cells. So because it will be the same cancer cells in the liver that have been found in the rectum the chemotherapy may also treat those cancer cells.

Your mum's team at the hospital will be able to give you much more information as they know her situation

I hope this helps a little. Please feel free to 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.

Take care, all the best

Jemma