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Dr. Andrew Rynne
MD
Dr. Andrew Rynne

Family Physician

Exp 50 years

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How Long A Person Can Live With Cancer In Liver?

Hi, my mom has stage 4 breast cancer and it is in her liver. She is showing signs of hepatic encephalopath and is sleeping a lot. All of her blood tests for her liver function are abnormal except for the billirubin. That is normal. The cancer in her liver has been present since last July and her liver is extremely enlarged. She has no appetite, but forces herself to eat. I want to know what to expect in the next few weeks or if she even has a few weeks. Can someone just guide me in the amount of time she may have? I have flown up to be with her and I just want to get some sort of idea how long someone can live when their liver is in such a bad state. Thank you.
Tue, 28 Apr 2015
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Radiologist 's  Response
Hi,
Thanks for writing in.

Sorry to hear about the cancer your mother is having. It appears that his primary is in the breast and now it has spread to the liver making it stage 4 cancer. Stage 4 cancer have a survival of 2 years with recommended treatment and support. If his general condition is weak then she must be provided with nutrition containing high level of proteins. Please give her fluids and semi solids that is easy to digest. Ask her the food she likes and try to give it in small quantities are frequent intervals. If she he having hepatic enephalopathy then her protein intake should be closely monitored and strict diet followed.

Once her general health is better then she will be able to tolerate chemotherapy should the doctors advise her another chemotherapy. In many patients the newer chemotherapy agents work well and can extend her life for few months. You can ask her doctors to give her pain relief medicines. Once her pain is reduced then she will feel more comfortable and then start eating better. By going for combination chemotherapy you can slow down the disease progress. Please do not worry.
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How Long A Person Can Live With Cancer In Liver?

Hi, Thanks for writing in. Sorry to hear about the cancer your mother is having. It appears that his primary is in the breast and now it has spread to the liver making it stage 4 cancer. Stage 4 cancer have a survival of 2 years with recommended treatment and support. If his general condition is weak then she must be provided with nutrition containing high level of proteins. Please give her fluids and semi solids that is easy to digest. Ask her the food she likes and try to give it in small quantities are frequent intervals. If she he having hepatic enephalopathy then her protein intake should be closely monitored and strict diet followed. Once her general health is better then she will be able to tolerate chemotherapy should the doctors advise her another chemotherapy. In many patients the newer chemotherapy agents work well and can extend her life for few months. You can ask her doctors to give her pain relief medicines. Once her pain is reduced then she will feel more comfortable and then start eating better. By going for combination chemotherapy you can slow down the disease progress. Please do not worry.