The Colon Club

Dear all,

I have some urgent questions:

1> If I have around 5 liver mets < 1cm, which cannot be resectable because they are located in the both side of liver, is it possible to use RFA to treat it ? I read some soure which indicated that RFA only use if I have <=4 liver mets ? Without RFA, what treatment I can choose ? My doctor said even using RFA, my living period is around 3 years on the average. Is it true ?

2> I got 2 different advice from doctors. One said RFA is the best options, the other said He can use TACE to treat the mets ? What is the best option for me now ? Pls give me your experience

My big disadvantage is that the liver mets are located in both sides of my liver so they are not resected. Is it possible to use chemo to reduce the mets to the level where they can be resected ?

I had 17 liver Mets, 3 in the left side and 14 in the right. I had surgery after a major response from chemo. Without a good response from chemo they would not have done surgery. The way I understand it is they didn't want to put me through surgery if the chemo didn't kill the cancer because it would just grow back. They're not necessarily trying to make the Mets smaller they are trying to kill the cancer cells.

Jimt,

Where are you located? Can you get to MSK in NYC? Many people swear by Dr. Nancy Kemeny for treatment of liver mets, including situations where other doctors have given up.

I live in Asia. I already read about HAI pump at MSK but not sure It is applied in Singapore or Japan. I am able to travel to MSK but my questions is :

1> Can you give me the contact/email of MSK so I can send them my medical report before make an apointment ?

2> Without Insurance, How much does it cost to treat my colon cancer? My friends told me the cost of treatment in Us is 10 times bigger than that in Singapore

3> Is it easy to make appointment or surgery at MSK ?

I fell desperated and hopeless. I read many stories hear and found that most of Stage IV patients can prolong their living with liver resects. Without liver resects, I will die soon

Hi ,
Firstly Jim I am unsure exactly how many liver mets you have ? My mum has had over ten and one alone was over five cm . Having chemo first was a good plan as it allowed her to get better margins for surgery. If all your five mets are under 1 cm you need to find out if you have some surgical options too . My mum had tumours from segment 4 through to 8 but was clear from segments one to three .
I live in the UK and we don’t have the pump here either . But with chemo and surgery alone my mum has been alive for nine years as a stage 4 patient .
Put up a post asking for the names of good liver surgeons in America including including Dr K and consult with a few to see what your options are . You can do that at the same time . I hear what you are saying about costing in America but once you know if you have treatment options you could try Europe .
Have a look at the Proton treatment thread . It’s the first I have read about that . Some surgeons from what I read use Surgery and Radio Frequency Ablation .
Consult with other oncologists to see if you have Lynch syndrome and would benefit from immunotherapy.
You are not a stat and your treatment is in medical hands but they can’t predict your lifespan .
Try and take one step at a time and form a plan of action . Get friends and family to help so you are not on your own . We are here to help in any way we can .
Take care,
Court

Hi Stu,

I have 5 mets (all < 1cm) which are located in the both side of my liver. My doctors and surgeons said they are inoperable Due to the location, they cannot resect the mets,... The only way to treat them is to use chemo or RFA.

My problem is not related to the size of the mets but link to location of them in the liver. I will die if they resect the mets

I feel hopeless because chemo can shrink the turmour to the level they can operable but that not my case.

Do anyone have the experience with my case ? Plz give me some suggestions

Jimt, I haven't been in your position but I would suggest contacting MSK and your local hospital and talking to them about arranging transfer of your records. It sounds like often a hospital like MSK will work out what treatment the patient should have, relay that to your local hospital so they'll know how to treat you, and then you would go to MSK for surgery and other important milestones, but would mostly be treated close to home according to the plan that MSK has determined is best for you. Mostly people have talked about this approach being taken all within the same country, but I don't see why it couldn't be done in your situation as well.

I'm sure others have experience with this sort of arrangement and can speak up as well. You should check in with your local oncologist and find out if they've worked with big cancer centers abroad in this way for other patients like you, and what sorts of treatment they have worked out.

I hope you're able to work this out! I think you need to ask a lot of questions and get seen at MSK to find out what you need, and then figure out how you can make it happen. One step at a time.

Hi Jim,

Don’t give up hope. With my liver Mets one of the tumors was dead when they resected it. The other was in very deep but small so instead of cutting it out, which they could have, but it would have meant a lot of my liver gone just to get a tiny tumor, they used RFA. Nearly a year later and no sign of cancer. My surgeon at Mayo said that RFA can be nearly as effective as resection.

I would search out the most experienced liver surgeon you can find and have them take a look.


Hang in there,

Dave

Thanks all,

After researching on the American society website, I know my treatment is classified as embolization:
https://www.cancer.org/cancer/colon-rec ... ation.html

It is another option, besides radiofrequency ablation (rfa). I understand that my liver mets cannot be removed by the surgery.

Are the RFA or Embolization can destroy the mets ? Or they only to control it prolong my living ?

Does we have survivors with the treatment or the status like me ?

Hey Jimt,

Take a deep breath. You are still in the early stages of this process so don't give up hope. It can be frustrating and I wanted to give up plenty of times, but don't. As others have stated, a major cancer center may provide you with a different treatment plan - especially a center that offers the HAI pump. There are a few, MSK being the one where I am treated. Even if the liver mets cannot currently be removed, the oncologist may be able to use the pump to shrink the tumors so they can be removed or maybe even eliminate them.

My situation is different from yours in that my tumors were able to be removed right away. However, it took hearing I was going to die from at least 4 different doctors before I went to MSK. And at my very first meeting with the oncologist and surgeon I heard the word "cure" for the first time.

hiker

I'm not sure exactly what embolization you are speaking of but my two stage liver resection involved a right portal vein embolization surgery in between liver resections. The way it worked was first they resected the left side Mets then the embolization surgery blocks the blood flow to the right side of the liver, diverting all the blood to the left that allows the left to grow large enough to allow the resection of the right side of the liver. Going to MSK was very good advice and sounds like you have the means to get there. Go to their website and look for their phone number, all it takes is a phone call and they take over from there. Good luck to you, hope all goes well

thanks martd and hiker,

How can I contact to MSK ? Could both of you give me some contacts ? I am living in a Asia country, so it would be better if i can discuss through email at first step

I could not find an email address but here is the website for the hospital

https://www.mskcc.org

On the front page click the drop down for request an appointment online, then select new patient, then select International patient and follow the directions there.

Good luck, I hope this info works for you