Brenda,
Welcome to the forum. Maybe the best thing to do would be to quickly start a new threat and call it End Stage Liver Cancer. I'll lock this one so folks don't post on both.
I am a co-moderator here...we are Connie (Hep C/Liver Cancer/Transplant survivor), Carol (that's me...caretaker for patient with Hep C/Liver Cancer/Translant survivor), and Dany (who has Autoimmune Hepatitis and is doing well).
All our member will pop in...those ill, those caring for the affected, and some wonderful alumni who have lost their partner with liver disease but bring a wealth of knowledge of the disease and the final stages.
I'm sorry you have had to find us.
My partner, Mike, has several things wrong with him that led to End Stage Liver Disease. Hep C. Alcoholic Cirrhosis, Acquired Hemochromatosis that seems to come and go, and the dreaded Hepatocellular Carcinoma. The good news in his case was that his tumor popped up when he was 99% of the way toward the top of a liver transplant list...so within 2 months of diagnosis, they tossed that old liver out and gave him a nice new one.
HOWEVER, with Hep C, you still have liver disease and that Hep C got busy right away. His viral load has gone up as high as 50+ million, though he is running much lower than that now.
The worrisome part is that his cancer markers are going up again...and so we are pretty much expecting a new diagnosis any time. Mike had a bone marrow biopsy taken today and has had every kind of cancer test...I think they are looking for some kind of lymphoma this time. Not sure...still testing.
With liver cancer there are several treatments that have been quite successful. Connie, who will be along, has had several treatments she will share with you. And we have members who have fallen out of transplant programs because their HCC tumors have grown too large and they are deemed too ill for transplantation. This means that the likelihood of survival is statistically poor for the surgery and at 1 and 5 years post transplant.
In many cases, patients are offered chemoembolization...a targeted chemo therapy that can cause a tumor or tumors to shrink to within the guidelines for transplantation.
Maybe you could tell us more about
yourself and ask away...there are many active people from all over participating in this forum.
Best.
Mama Lama aka Carol
Post Edited By Moderator (hep93) : 4/26/2013 11:45:41 AM (GMT-6)