Transplant Before Liver Cancer Returns

My husband had 10% of left kidney removed from primary kidney cancer in May 2007 then had liver resection in July 2007 for primary liver cancer. Biopsy of liver removed showed cancer cells in the margin (along the incision site) so surgeon & oncologist say cancer will come back. They are considering liver transplant but I am hesitant to go forward until they actually detect cancer in liver. If cancer shows up somewhere else,  they will be unable to treat it because of the post-transplant meds. I say wait till it shows up before going forward with such a drastic treatment. I would welcome any comments to our situation. Also, I am interested in how families are coping with the financial situation of cancer. My husband has had to sell his business but we cannot live off my income and I have no idea what we will do if he must have a liver transplant and I may have to quit work to take care of him. Husband is 59, I am 49. Any thoughts or suggestions for what has helped you?

On 1/16/2008 LizzieP wrote:

My husband had 10% of left kidney removed from primary kidney cancer in May 2007 then had liver resection in July 2007 for primary liver cancer. Biopsy of liver removed showed cancer cells in the margin (along the incision site) so surgeon & oncologist say cancer will come back. They are considering liver transplant but I am hesitant to go forward until they actually detect cancer in liver. If cancer shows up somewhere else,  they will be unable to treat it because of the post-transplant meds. I say wait till it shows up before going forward with such a drastic treatment. I would welcome any comments to our situation. Also, I am interested in how families are coping with the financial situation of cancer. My husband has had to sell his business but we cannot live off my income and I have no idea what we will do if he must have a liver transplant and I may have to quit work to take care of him. Husband is 59, I am 49. Any thoughts or suggestions for what has helped you?

 

I think you are very wise to be hesitant to have your husband undergo a liver transplant.  It is frustrating to me to see mainstream medicine too quickly advise patients to have organ transplants, radical surgery, and other hugely expensive, largely ineffective and damaging procedures such as chemo or radiation without first addressing the health condition naturally.  Far too often mainstream medical procedures seek only to treat the symptoms of a health condition instead of the underlying causes, and so we end up with a lifetime of managed illness and increasing drugs when nature might have provided the answer early on.

Unlike some largely failed medical procedures such as chemo and radiation, transplants are pretty much modern marvels and the technology and science are improving right along.  However, they are still fraught with risk, hugely expensive and come with a continued physical and financial price due to the anti-rejection and other drugs that must be taken for the rest of the patient's life.

In many instances, transplants may not be necessary - especially liver transplants.  Just like there are for all kinds of cancers, there are natural alternatives outside mainstream medicine which have been highly, highly effective at treating diseased livers.

My favorite treatment for the liver is the use of three simple and commonly avialable anti-oxidants combined with diet, exercise and other simple lifestyle changes: milk thistle (silymarin), alpha-lipoic acid and selenium.

That is the exact regimen that was used in the Berkson clinical study - a very limited study which nevertheless was 100% successful in treating three women who were facing either liver transplants, chemo (with about a 5% success rate and horrific side effects) or death.  Most people have never heard of this study, and for good reason - it was never published in the United States, and it has been suggested that a big reason it has not  is that liver transplants and liver disease represent huge profits to the medical industry.

Whatever the reasons, Dr. Berksons credentials are very impressive and the study was published in a pretigious German magazine and has been translated back into English. You can read about the study here:

http://www.tbyil.com/berkson.htm

I think that it is very important to keep in mind that cancer only appears when it is able to defeat the body's natural first line of defense - the immune system, and cancer is almost always only present in individuals whose liver is impaired.  For those reasons, it is very important to guard against future cancer by rebuilding and protecting the immune system and the liver.

If I may, I would suggest that you take a look at the freely posted articles about cancer and the liver at this location:

http://www.tbyil.com/articles.htm

including these articles:

Modern Medicine versus Nature in Treating Cancer

A Natural Anti-Cancer Protocol

The Entire Oleander Series of articles (oleander, recognized outside mainstream medicine as an extremely effective cancer fighter and liver disease fighter. was found in European studies in 1986-87 to have six times the immune stimulating activity of the most powerful patented immune stimulators known to man)

Hepatitis-C - The Hepatitis Epidemic and natural Remedies That Can Help

Liver and Bowel Cleansing

May you and your husband live long, live healthy and live happy!

Hi,

I'm in Arkansas, USA.  In 2/07, my healthy, handsome 57 yr old husband was disgnosed with what is OFTEN thought of as a RARE tumors..called Cacinoid Tunors.  More can be found at the causes and symptoms are www.carcinoid.org  He had been to all sorts of doctors, did his annual wellness checks, lab, and urine checks and the illness was not found UNTIL one day, he began flushing--Yes, HOT FLASHES like a woman.  We finally found a doctor who knew to look for illness other than the treadtional and suggested his serontonin be checked...by collecting his urine for 24 hours.  It is called a 5-HIAA 24 hr study of the urine.  WE were shocked to find out it came back showing he has what is called CARCINOID TUMORS.  The can be in many parts of your body--bnut often begin in or around the intestines.  My husband's had already metsasized to his liver.  After extensive--and I mean extensive research we were able to find some doctors who specialize in carcinod tumors and neurendrocrine tumors.  They are in Kenner, LA.  Since the diagnosis in February, my husband has had surgery to remove the primary, bounced backa nd recovereed.  He has now been back a couple of times for chemotherapy embolization.  That is a procedure where a catherter is put pu the groin area..to the liver so that chemo will only go to the liver.  I'm pleased to say that even though he has a long way to go--he is slowly recovering...we will not know for sure until another CT is done.  The doctors I mentioned know a lot about the neuroendrocrine system and tumors.  I'd encourage you to talk to them or someone who is VERY knowledgeable about this issue.  Our experince with oncologists is that the ones we've seen are often overworked or over zealous with being quick to write a client off as to no hope.  I think this is often done because of not specializing in a particular cancer specialty/and/or overworked which leaves them no time for their own reasearch.  Of course, my opinion is based on my own experience only...which by no means indicate all oncologists.  I guess what I'm saying is---trying to find the specialists...in your particular field.  Do your research..even though you have a doctor.

You may email me at

direct if you want to discuss this further.

 Anothrr thing, those of you who have been diagnosed with IBS Irritable Bowel Syndrome...make sure you read up on how IBS is often misdiagnosed and often is later discovered that the illness is actually cancer.

I hope that your husband finds good treatment and responds well.