Is anyone familiar with portal vein embolization? My husband has T3N1 rectal cancer with mets to the liver - too many to surgically remove and have enough liver leftover. He has had total mesorectal excision surgery and last week had portal vein embolization with the plan being to remove the side of the liver with the multiple metastases after the other side of the liver has 'grown' to compensate. Can't find any info on the side effects of this technique from the point of view of the patient. He has a pain at the top of the breastbone and feels like he has been on chemotherapy (he did have six sessions of Folfox before the surgery for the rectal tumor). What can we expect? Anyone had any experience with this? Thanks.
His history has been diagnosis of a large tumor in november of 08 and subsequent removal via rectum, so no open surgery for that. Surgeon said he got it all out and that only about 1 small cancer foci and to watch carefully and wait. Pathologist disagreed but after review conceded it was possible that it had not spread into the muscularis and lymph though it looked like it might have. The position of it caused some doubt. Anyway in April, cea marker went up to 4.9 (first time it was taken) and pet scan done. Lights in rectuma nd liver. Chemo done starting April and finishing August. Rectal surgery done in early September to remove the new tumor and also the area of the first tumor. Chemotherapy was verypositive,i.e. tumors shrunk in liver and liver surgeon feels able to do this surgery despite the tumor burden. It is his best chance. Now the portal vein embolization. He feels like hot and has temperature we think due to Lovenox as he has had that reaction before but has to have it to bridge the warfarin during the surgery. His appetite is really down and digestion has pretty much ground to a halt. He had four hours of general anesthesia during the portal vein procedure.
Any information and help would be so appreciated. Thanks it is so hard to go through this, and reading these boards is very helpful.