Nitro
Flashlight Enthusiast
- Joined
- Feb 27, 2004
- Messages
- 1,347
...took my father a couple months ago. Apparently it's a rare form. Has anyone had, or know anyone with it?
Liver Cancer...
- Thread starter Nitro
- Start date
Help Support Candle Power Flashlight Forum
greenLED
Flashaholic
don't know much about that, but just wanted to say I'm really sorry about your father. :candle:
I am sorry to hear about your father. I hope you and your family are doing as well as possible and able to support each other.
My mother in law had Biliary tract cancer, which is cancer of the bile duct attached to the liver which had spread into the liver. She was told at a Detroit hospital she had 6 months to a year to live and nothign could be done. I found out Mayo clinic is a big cancer center and she went there for a consultation. She had a liver resection, they took half the liver along withthe bile duct and some lymph nodes at the Mayo Clinic. After she had chemo and radiation. Thank god, for the time being, she is doing very well with good prognosis. Now just have to get my wife past Hodgkins Lymphoma and we will be doing great.
Liver cancer and biliary duct cancer are very deadly forms of cancer from what I understand. Generally b ecause they spread so fast, and they are seldom caught in early stages so the patient is so far along before treatment can ever start.
My mother in law had Biliary tract cancer, which is cancer of the bile duct attached to the liver which had spread into the liver. She was told at a Detroit hospital she had 6 months to a year to live and nothign could be done. I found out Mayo clinic is a big cancer center and she went there for a consultation. She had a liver resection, they took half the liver along withthe bile duct and some lymph nodes at the Mayo Clinic. After she had chemo and radiation. Thank god, for the time being, she is doing very well with good prognosis. Now just have to get my wife past Hodgkins Lymphoma and we will be doing great.
Liver cancer and biliary duct cancer are very deadly forms of cancer from what I understand. Generally b ecause they spread so fast, and they are seldom caught in early stages so the patient is so far along before treatment can ever start.
DFiorentino
Flashlight Enthusiast
I am sorry to here about your father. One of my coworkers/employees has liver cancer. It went into remision and came back. He's been through two rounds of chemo and most likely will need a third, but I don't think he wants to do it again. 
-DF
-DF
My dad was diagnosed with salivary gland (parotinoid?) cancer in December and passed away in early february 7 weeks after. He also had a rare form of cancer... or so they said. Personally I think the doctor(s) he was seeing didn't try to look for cancer and could have found it perhaps 6 months to several years ago as they *found* it everywhere in his body after doing a test with radiated sugar I think it is called a PET scan.
bwaites
Flashlight Enthusiast
I am sorry to hear about your fathers!
My father is a prostate cancer survivor, so I know the shock of those types of diagnosis. His oldest sister died about 5 months after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, one of the few that is worse than liver cancer.
Liver cancers, in general, have about a 6% survival rate after 5 years, one of the worst of cancer prognosis.
Pancreatic cancer is about 3% if I remember correctly, and is the worst by my recollection, with the possible exception of metastatic malignant melanoma.
Stage IV Salivary Gland Cancer, the worst grading of a local cancer has only around a 30% 5 year survival, (I had to check on that one!) but if the disease has metastasized to other sites, it could be much shorter. Interestingly, the Parotid gland is the gland usually involved in salivary gland tumors, but the majority of salivary tumors are NOT cancerous.
Bill
My father is a prostate cancer survivor, so I know the shock of those types of diagnosis. His oldest sister died about 5 months after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, one of the few that is worse than liver cancer.
Liver cancers, in general, have about a 6% survival rate after 5 years, one of the worst of cancer prognosis.
Pancreatic cancer is about 3% if I remember correctly, and is the worst by my recollection, with the possible exception of metastatic malignant melanoma.
Stage IV Salivary Gland Cancer, the worst grading of a local cancer has only around a 30% 5 year survival, (I had to check on that one!) but if the disease has metastasized to other sites, it could be much shorter. Interestingly, the Parotid gland is the gland usually involved in salivary gland tumors, but the majority of salivary tumors are NOT cancerous.
Bill
bwaites
Flashlight Enthusiast
Unfortunately, most cancers don't have any early warning signs.
MOST cancers are discovered accidently, either because of something else, or because the patient finds something.
If you could come up with a good screening test for cancer, it would win you the Nobel prize for medicine! (edited for spelling)
So far, we have exactly TWO early warning (screening) tests, (a screening test is one that is cost effective vs. the number of cancers it detects.) One is the PAP smear, the other is the Mammogram.
PSA's are getting better, but a fairly high number of them are false positives, so they still aren't a great screening test, but are good for following progression of a suspicious prostate cancer.
Unfortunately, screening for cancer is still in it's infancy, but we're trying!! One of the problems is getting people to actually have the tests!!
If you look at the number of women who actually have PAP's and Mammo's yearly, vs. the number that SHOULD, you recognize that it isn't ALL the doctors fault!
Bill
MOST cancers are discovered accidently, either because of something else, or because the patient finds something.
If you could come up with a good screening test for cancer, it would win you the Nobel prize for medicine! (edited for spelling)
So far, we have exactly TWO early warning (screening) tests, (a screening test is one that is cost effective vs. the number of cancers it detects.) One is the PAP smear, the other is the Mammogram.
PSA's are getting better, but a fairly high number of them are false positives, so they still aren't a great screening test, but are good for following progression of a suspicious prostate cancer.
Unfortunately, screening for cancer is still in it's infancy, but we're trying!! One of the problems is getting people to actually have the tests!!
If you look at the number of women who actually have PAP's and Mammo's yearly, vs. the number that SHOULD, you recognize that it isn't ALL the doctors fault!
Bill
Last edited:
TiberiusBeeKirk
Newly Enlightened
I too am sorry to hear bout your Dad.
As you can see, many have gone through it and know what you're going through.
I like Bwaites positive attitude and that's what we all need.
My Mom was Dx with NSCLC a year ago in November. They discovered it during a normal chest x-ray and found a tumor the size of a lemon pressing down on her diaphragm. She got the chest x-ray because she had a persistant cough for years. She's a survivor to me. (if you saw the surgery scar, you'll know how tough she is)
They say the chances are 50 percent 5 year survival rate.
As you can see, many have gone through it and know what you're going through.
I like Bwaites positive attitude and that's what we all need.
My Mom was Dx with NSCLC a year ago in November. They discovered it during a normal chest x-ray and found a tumor the size of a lemon pressing down on her diaphragm. She got the chest x-ray because she had a persistant cough for years. She's a survivor to me. (if you saw the surgery scar, you'll know how tough she is)
They say the chances are 50 percent 5 year survival rate.
Nitro
Flashlight Enthusiast
- Joined
- Feb 27, 2004
- Messages
- 1,347
Thanks for the replies. I really appreciate it.
I'm also sorry to hear about your experiences.
It was kind of a shock for us, because we really didn't know how bad it was. He was down in Texas for the winter, and he wasn't telling us everything. He told us the doctors suspected Cancer, but they had not confirmed it yet. Every time we called him to find out information, he would just say "I have to go back to the doctor for more tests".
My brother and I were planing to go down and bring him back for treatment, once we found out the situation. My father had different plans however. After not hearing from him for a few days, I called down to have him checked on. Then I got a call from the police, and that's when I knew. He had died a few days earlier and was all alone. That's the really hard part, knowing he was alone.
We really had no idea it would be so quick. We were thinking worse case, a few months, not weeks. It wasn't until we flew down there the next day, found his medical records, and talked to his doctors that we knew what he knew. He had two tumors on his liver, one 3 inches and one 1.5 inches. His liver was pretty much shut down. The doctors told us they wanted to admit him into the hospital for treatment, and to make his last days easier, but he refused. He wanted to do it his way.
He was born on 2/15/1934, and he died on 2/15/2006.
I'm also sorry to hear about your experiences.
It was kind of a shock for us, because we really didn't know how bad it was. He was down in Texas for the winter, and he wasn't telling us everything. He told us the doctors suspected Cancer, but they had not confirmed it yet. Every time we called him to find out information, he would just say "I have to go back to the doctor for more tests".
My brother and I were planing to go down and bring him back for treatment, once we found out the situation. My father had different plans however. After not hearing from him for a few days, I called down to have him checked on. Then I got a call from the police, and that's when I knew. He had died a few days earlier and was all alone. That's the really hard part, knowing he was alone.
We really had no idea it would be so quick. We were thinking worse case, a few months, not weeks. It wasn't until we flew down there the next day, found his medical records, and talked to his doctors that we knew what he knew. He had two tumors on his liver, one 3 inches and one 1.5 inches. His liver was pretty much shut down. The doctors told us they wanted to admit him into the hospital for treatment, and to make his last days easier, but he refused. He wanted to do it his way.
He was born on 2/15/1934, and he died on 2/15/2006.
bwaites
Flashlight Enthusiast
Nitro,
I am truly sorry, one of the things that kept us going was that we communicated about it, but I know that many of our parents generation chooses to bear it in silence, not wanting to put ANY burden on their families. Sounds like your dad was of that thought process.
Their generation is tougher than ours, that's for sure!
Good luck, and my prayers are with you and your families.
Bill
I am truly sorry, one of the things that kept us going was that we communicated about it, but I know that many of our parents generation chooses to bear it in silence, not wanting to put ANY burden on their families. Sounds like your dad was of that thought process.
Their generation is tougher than ours, that's for sure!
Good luck, and my prayers are with you and your families.
Bill
billybright
Enlightened
My Father is having a 60% liver resection tomorrow.
He is a fit 75 and has never drank or smoked,
just praying he pulls through it:candle:
He is a fit 75 and has never drank or smoked,
just praying he pulls through it:candle:
bwaites
Flashlight Enthusiast
Prayers here too!
Bill
Bill
TiberiusBeeKirk
Newly Enlightened
Billyb, I'm praying for your dad his surgery goes well and subsequent treatments.
My mom had one lobe resected and is doing fine, 4 day stay and healing well.
She had chemo with radiation treatment after the surgery.
I consider that amazing.
Good hearing your MIL is doing well too, Lee, and will pray for your Wife along with Billyb's dad.
My mom had one lobe resected and is doing fine, 4 day stay and healing well.
She had chemo with radiation treatment after the surgery.
I consider that amazing.
Good hearing your MIL is doing well too, Lee, and will pray for your Wife along with Billyb's dad.
Sub_Umbra
Flashlight Enthusiast
Me too.
Sub
