Those with Liver Resection for Recurrence

[James65]

Hi All,
Been a while since my last post, but I do check in every so often. When I was first diagnosed in 2006 this message board became my lifeline and it's hard to imagine completely disconnecting from it.

Two years ago I was diagnosed with a recurrence to my liver after going about seven years with clean CTs and blood work. A resection was done by a Dr. Barth at Dartmouth Hitchcock in Hanover, NH, (Wonderful place and Dr. Barth is a rare find. Please seek him out if you are facing surgery). I go for follow ups every three months and today was a CEA check, which was fine.

I'm just wondering about others who've been through something similar and how you are fairing and what if any changes you've noticed in your life or outlook on the world since resection.

I wish everyone well and the hope that we can all find a way to be as free from fear as is possible.

James

[plastikos]

7 years before a recurrence? That mustve been a shock I imagine. I have just had a resection for my first (hopefully last) recurrence. Although I already had liver mets when I was diagnosed last year. Cant really share how my life has changed since I just had the surgery but I think one of the changes I will make is adopting a more drastic lifestyle change compared to after my first surgery. For me that means no sugar, no processed meats, no red meat if possible, mainly a fish and vegetable diet, exercise and downscaling my private practice to relieve stress. It cant hurt. Desperate times call for desperate measures right?

[Nik Colon]

Are they sure it was recurrence and not new primary?

[Lee]

My Onc told me on my last visit, generally a recurrence happens with in the first 5 yrs, RARELY, but sometimes 7 yrs out. Never after that.

I suspect your tumor was a sleeper for awhile and then woke up. I believe your chances of having it come back or pop up some place else is pretty rare.

Did you do any mop up chemo?

Lee

[James65]

Hi,
I did 18 weeks of folfox after the primary cancer surgery (chemo/rad, surgery, chemo) but didn't do any chemo after the surgery for the recurrence. The surgeon and medical oncologist ran my case past two separate tumor boards and both said studies show the beneficial effects of chemo in this situation don't outweigh the costs.

Are you doing chemo? You had METs to the liver with the primary, did they do a resection for those?

I also wonder how many resections a liver can go through.

Best,
James

[LeonW]

I did 8 cycles of Xelox the half year after colon resection. This made (the then un-resectable) liver mets shrink sufficiently for a successful attack in Oct 2012. No more chemo since but I was pathological clean when liver was resected (see sign. below). The onc-surgeon who lead my hemihepatectomy promised that it would take roughly a month for the liver to re-grow to its original volume (they had taken off 75%) and that this could --in principle-- be repeated indefinitely. We didn't discuss the 'in principle' further -- I think he meant that scar tissue etc. would come into play after a few? times.

Aside, once removed, don't count on it to come back in its original shape. Belly looks quite different now.

L

[dianetavegia]

ALL, studies have shown that instead of 5 years, 7 years is the more accurate cut off date for RECTAL cancer for common time for recurrence.

So, I had a recurrence to my liver at 3 years. I had the full open surgery with NO follow up chemo. I couldn't take the pain pills they gave me so suffered horribly for over a month. Couldn't bathe, comb my hair, put on makeup, you name it. Our daughter came and stayed here for 5 weeks, helping me with anything that called for me to lift my arms.

After she left and I was home alone 12 hours a day, I became a horrible hypochondriac. Health Anxiety they called it. Now the term being used is Chronic Disease Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

I went from Suzy Homemaker to 'if you trip over the dog hair, pick it up' and 'if you need to leave me a message, write it in the dust on the end tables' (not really but I could not care less about housework, hobbies, etc.)

I'm not the Pollyanna I was for 61 years.