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What Does Spots On Liver With History Of Pancreatic Cancer Indicate?

Posted on Mon, 12 May 2014

Question: Good morning, By Husband at age 44 was diagnosed with Pancreatic cancer and survived after having treatment of a Whipple surgery, chemo and radiation. It has been 10 years and now they have found small spots on his liver. He goes back in 3 months to see if they have grown. how serious is this? Could it actually be cancer of the liver and if the spots are abscess of the liver should he be drinking?

Answered by Dr. Grzegorz Stanko (49 minutes later)

Brief Answer: Detailed below. Detailed Answer: Hello! Thank you for the query. It is thought that if the patient survives 10 years after a cancer treatment, is completely healed. Pancreas cancer does not give much chances for such survival, so your husband case is a kind of miracle. Small spots on the liver are most likely not related to the cancer. Such spots can be cysts, focal nodular hyperplasia or any other benign lesion. Liver abscess is usually not a small spot. It also causes fever. Drinking at his case is not the best idea. Especially if he drinks a lot. Drinking can lead to liver cirrhosis and can make him prone to liver cancer. As the doctors asked him to wait 3 months, it does not seem to be serious. If you are worried, you may suggest your doctors to perform PET test instead of waiting for so long. Hope this will help. Feel free to ask further questions. Regards.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar

Follow up: Dr. Grzegorz Stanko (24 hours later)

Thank you for your reply. He has had a couple of unexplained episodes of fever along with the chills just recently. He has stomach issues quite frequently also where he vomits a lot, this has been going on since his Whipple Surgery. So you are saying that you do not think this has any thing to do with his Pancreatic cancer? I was just concerned about waiting for 3 months.

Answered by Dr. Grzegorz Stanko (4 hours later)

Brief Answer: . Detailed Answer: 10 years is long enough for pancreas cancer to give any metastases. Usually such metastases appears very quick and for sure not later than 5 years post diagnosis. So this does not seem to be related to pancreas cancer. To rule out an abscess, CRP and CBC should be checked. WBC and CRP should be elevated in case of abscess.

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Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar