Primary Liver Cancer Treatment

Hello everyone--
I am new to this so please be patient! My Mom
was diagnosed with Primary Liver Cancer in May
and has been told that resection would not be
beneficial for her. This was on July 1, and we
are awaiting a meeting with the doctor to
discuss treatment options. I have been
researching the options myself so I am somewhat
prepared. I am interested in Intensity
Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT), a
cancer-fighting radiation treatment that targets
cancerous tumors with pinpoint precision while
minimizing damage to surrounding tissue.

Her tumor is quite large, taking up a good
portion of the large lobe. She does not have
cirrhosis or any kind of hepatisis, but she does
have diabetes. She is only 66. I am a mess, of
course, and want to help her as much as I can.

Does anyone have advice for me? Support? I
could sure use it...thanks!

Let my first tell you that you are not alone. I can really relate to what you are going through. My girlfriends mother was diagnosed with bile duct cancer in may as well. It has spread to the liver or has developed into a tumor that can't be removed. At first we thought she just had the flu, this was in the month of april so the flu seemed possible. One day my girlfriend noticed that her mom looked kind of yellow. They made her a doctors appointment and scheduled some blood tests and some sort of scans. Thats when they discovered that it was cancer. This was the most shocking terrible news that anyone of us had ever heard. She is only 57 years old. The family quickly started to have many problems. The first thing that I know was done was to control the jaundice and get her body functions up to par before they could try surgery. This was done at Johns Hopkins. This took about a week. I think that my then girlfriend was going to try to juggle our relationship and what all was going on in her life at this point in time. I knew things were going to be tough for her and I tried to be there and help as much as possible but things were starting to get very difficult for her to deal with. She has a 5 year old daughter and a father that is in very bad health as well. So you can probably see the kind of stress she has. The next thing that was to occur was the surgery. She was to have her gall bladder removed and stints placed in her bile ducts. This is when they found out surgery was not an option. The doctors came out of surgery and informed them that they found a tumor in her liver somewhere and it could not be removed. I cant even imagin how my girlfriend felt. Her and her mother are like best friends. She has lived with her at home her whole life and they are very close. There whole world is each other and the baby. While my girlfriend we'll call her CC and her brother was down at Hopkins I tried to look in on her father and keep up with the lawn and garbage chores. On there return I was informed over the phone that she could not deal with a relationship now and didnt want to see me anymore. This is not like her at all we have always been very close, Talking of marriage, a home and childern. But that is all on hold for now and I can understand why with all she is going through. So you can see that cancer not only affects the person that has it it can be devastating to others as well. If you have a special someone in your life try to let them feel like there doing something to help, even if its something little,trust me it will make a big difference. The only reason That CC and I had to put things on hold is because of how busy things are with her, doctors, treatment, and the stress of everyday situations. The treatment schedule alone for them is enough to drive someone crazy. Her mom has to get chemo and radiation every day. I have not been able to talk with CC to see how things are going with them. CC has totally withdrawn from me. It is really hard to imaginewhat she is going through to give up on me when she loved me so much and knew I love her more than any thing in the world. Now to try to answer some of your questions. I am new to this as well. I have been researching this night and day since apr. I know that CC's mom has a port in her chest or side where the radiation treatment is administered. It is directed locally to the tumor. This is supposed to boost the good effects and cut down on the radiation that has to travel through the rest of the body. I heard from CC's brother about a week ago andhe said that his mom was really tired and was having alot of trouble eating he did not Know if this was the result of the chemo or th radiation. So the better someone can eat I think that it will boost their energy and probably keep them feeling better through treatment. The unit is worn on the side and is as far as I know administered at home. I have had some confusion on how the chemo is given I think she may take that orally and at home as well. I was told by CC's brother that the doctors said that she was not going to lose her hair, but I have not seen her in almost two months. That could be one of the reasons they dont want me around while this is going on. I know that CC at one point really loved me so she might be protecting me from this terrible crisis her and her family is going through. I lost My Grandfather to a brain tumor about 5 years ago. Him and I was very close. He was 75 and lived a good life. That made things a little easier to deal with. But when people are so young that makes things alot harder to understand. I know that when CC thought about me and my mother she probably felt really bad. She probably cant understand why it had to be her mom. Maybe that is why she cant deal with me right now. I am 28 an CC is 35 But our mothers are pretty close in age. I really wish There was more I could do I just feel so helpless that CC will not let me be apart of her life through this. I know that I could be a great help, emotionaly espsecially. I am for the most part a strong person that can deal with things well. But I guess through this they need there time and space to work things out there own way. So my advice to you is try to take care of yourself as well as your mom. Try to be understanding. Your mom is going to need alot of support which may become frustrating to you sometimes but just brush it off and take a deep breath. Also try not to make any decisions to fast that you may regret down the road. I know it must be very hard for you, but don't ever give up hope. If I can think of any thing else or something changes I will post it on this site. I have posted a couple of messages on the caregivers section under need advice that you may want to check out. If you could give me any advice or info I would greatly apprieceiate as well I check this site pretty often. My prayers will be with you and your family, and remember not to give up hope.

Thank you for your prompt message. I am
learning really fast how someone with cancer
touches many lives. I feel your friend's pain
all too well and can only imagine how it is
affecting you...you are a true friend for
understanding her hell. We are still in the
very early stages of alternate treatment, so
when I get more info I will post it. She is
feeling pretty okay for now, but has developed
shingles this past weekend on her face and it is
very painful. Also, the itching from the toxins
in her body is driving her crazy, but there is
no actual cancer pain yet. She had a
chemoembolization in May to try and shrink the
tumor, but the doctor said that the procedure is
not yielding the results he hoped for...so no
operation to remove the tumor. Chemo/radiation
is next for her.
I will post more info as I recieve it. We live
in NJ and she is currently going to UMDNJ for
most of the procedures, but we are looking to
find a chemo/radiation site closer to the north
jersey town we live in, like Chilton or Valley
or even Morristown.

Dear trixie cat, I hope this message finds you guys well. I was wondering if you did'nt mind me asking. What exactly is chemoebolization, and what is the difference between that and the radiation/chemo treatments? I know that CC's mom has been getting treatments for almost a month but could these treatments be chemoebolization? I would really like to know some info on this. Maybe if I knew more about the treatments I could understand what I could do to help them, symptoms, and emotional feelings, and such. Your imput has been very helpful. Thanks again. My prayers go with you.

Hello...

Here is a great site for chemoembolization. It
should answer all of your questions. I have
been quite busy with my Mom, so I will post
again later...

God bless...

http://www.radiologyinfo.org/content/interventio
nal/chemoembol.htm