› Forums › General Melanoma Community › liver met
- This topic has 12 replies, 5 voices, and was last updated 14 years, 6 months ago by
King.
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- July 4, 2011 at 3:16 am
To all the stage 4 vets out there i need your help…i reposted this on suggestion of Linda…
I was initially diagnosed in April after finding a golf ball size tumor in my right armpit-stage 3c…i had surgery, 3 consults and decided on biochemo…before i could begin treatment i grew another mel in the same place…got it cut out and local radiation for 1 week then rescanned…to find 5 questionable spots in lungs and one definite mel in liver…so you see i have very aggressive mel…i am still on learning curve.
To all the stage 4 vets out there i need your help…i reposted this on suggestion of Linda…
I was initially diagnosed in April after finding a golf ball size tumor in my right armpit-stage 3c…i had surgery, 3 consults and decided on biochemo…before i could begin treatment i grew another mel in the same place…got it cut out and local radiation for 1 week then rescanned…to find 5 questionable spots in lungs and one definite mel in liver…so you see i have very aggressive mel…i am still on learning curve.
My onc suggested i start chemo on tuesday and biochemo was out of the question and IL2 put on hold until after the chemo…she said she was also considering me for a plexxon trial depending on braf results (which we are waiting on)…she wants to do 6 rounds of chemo (5 day week 6 week) and rescan and do another couple rounds before starting me on Immunotherapy(i think i heard this right)…i am especially looking for input from Charlie, Jimmy B, MichaelFL, King…but anyone with aggressive mel and liver mel i would like to hear from…i know i can't sit on the fence long if at all, but i want to do the best thing for me and i just don't know enough….i take a lot of nutritional suppliments but do not want to compromise liver…
boots
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- July 4, 2011 at 6:47 am
Hey boots..I don't know if this will help, but my husband had four liver mets. He has undergone several rounds of carboplatin/abraxane/avastin and in the last scan the liver mets were gone. He still has one lymph node in the chest that is shrinking. We don't know what they have planned next. I'll keep you in my thoughts, and wish you the best in making the right decisions for yourself. Big hugs!
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- July 4, 2011 at 6:47 am
Hey boots..I don't know if this will help, but my husband had four liver mets. He has undergone several rounds of carboplatin/abraxane/avastin and in the last scan the liver mets were gone. He still has one lymph node in the chest that is shrinking. We don't know what they have planned next. I'll keep you in my thoughts, and wish you the best in making the right decisions for yourself. Big hugs!
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- July 4, 2011 at 7:10 am
Sorry to read that they have found that you have spots in the lungs and a definite mel in
liver. It is the liver met that I am most concerned about.There is a procedure called transarterial chemoembolization where chemo is delivered
directly to the liver in an attempt to reduce toxicity. Perhaps you could ask your
oncologist about it? Another thing to look at is surgery, but that will depend on what
your surgical oncologist says.I don't know if nutritional supplements or herbs would help with the liver met, but the
herb milk thistle comes to mind. See:
http://cancerhelp.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/cancer-questions/milk-thistle-and-liver-cancerI hope that the stage 4 vets will give you there opinions soon.
Take care
Frank from Australia
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- July 4, 2011 at 7:10 am
Sorry to read that they have found that you have spots in the lungs and a definite mel in
liver. It is the liver met that I am most concerned about.There is a procedure called transarterial chemoembolization where chemo is delivered
directly to the liver in an attempt to reduce toxicity. Perhaps you could ask your
oncologist about it? Another thing to look at is surgery, but that will depend on what
your surgical oncologist says.I don't know if nutritional supplements or herbs would help with the liver met, but the
herb milk thistle comes to mind. See:
http://cancerhelp.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/cancer-questions/milk-thistle-and-liver-cancerI hope that the stage 4 vets will give you there opinions soon.
Take care
Frank from Australia
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- July 4, 2011 at 8:31 pm
Hi Boots,
In my opinion, you need to find out if the questionable spots in the lungs are melanoma or not. If they are not and the liver is the only area with metastatic disease (one tumor), then surgery might be an option…a very good one.
I, too, have an unknown primary site. I found the lump in my groin..had a LND…managed to squeeze in 12 months of Interferon and 10 weeks later, a 3.4 cm tumor was found in my liver on a routine scan. I went to Moffitt (a major, well respected melanoma center in Tampa), my case was discussed at the tumor board and it was decided that surgery would be my best option (since this was my only area of mets). My surgeon was very aggressive..he took 70% of my liver. This is the maximum amount of liver tissue that can be removed. My tumor had already grown to 4.5 cm. He, also, removed my gall bladder so melanoma had one less place to go since it was in the area. I was then NED, did a Phase II clinical trial of GM-CSF for 12 months (later results of this trial showed that GM-CSF provided no benefit). I remained NED for 3 years and once again had a surgical option.
What chemo agent is being suggested for you? And why is Biochemo being ruled out? If the mets in your lungs are melanoma (and it's already confirmed in the liver) then I think it's time for the big guns….why delay?
Please email me or post if you have further questions. When you say that it is suggested that you start chemo on Tuesday, is that tomorrow? I realize treatment needs to be started ASAP but I think you can understand why I would want to know if the lung mets are mel or not (I have had benign nodules in my lungs).
Stay Strong
KingStage IV 7/05 Liver mets
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- July 4, 2011 at 8:31 pm
Hi Boots,
In my opinion, you need to find out if the questionable spots in the lungs are melanoma or not. If they are not and the liver is the only area with metastatic disease (one tumor), then surgery might be an option…a very good one.
I, too, have an unknown primary site. I found the lump in my groin..had a LND…managed to squeeze in 12 months of Interferon and 10 weeks later, a 3.4 cm tumor was found in my liver on a routine scan. I went to Moffitt (a major, well respected melanoma center in Tampa), my case was discussed at the tumor board and it was decided that surgery would be my best option (since this was my only area of mets). My surgeon was very aggressive..he took 70% of my liver. This is the maximum amount of liver tissue that can be removed. My tumor had already grown to 4.5 cm. He, also, removed my gall bladder so melanoma had one less place to go since it was in the area. I was then NED, did a Phase II clinical trial of GM-CSF for 12 months (later results of this trial showed that GM-CSF provided no benefit). I remained NED for 3 years and once again had a surgical option.
What chemo agent is being suggested for you? And why is Biochemo being ruled out? If the mets in your lungs are melanoma (and it's already confirmed in the liver) then I think it's time for the big guns….why delay?
Please email me or post if you have further questions. When you say that it is suggested that you start chemo on Tuesday, is that tomorrow? I realize treatment needs to be started ASAP but I think you can understand why I would want to know if the lung mets are mel or not (I have had benign nodules in my lungs).
Stay Strong
KingStage IV 7/05 Liver mets
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- July 5, 2011 at 1:27 pm
Boots,
You know I have no medical advice to offer but I want you to know that you're in my thoughts and prayers. You weren't kidding when you said you have an aggressive melanoma! But you're MORE aggressive and tougher and you're going to make this wish it had never messed with you.
Pulling for you Boots.
Lord, in Your mercy, open doors for Your child here and bring her healing. Thank You. Amen and Amen!
Grace and peace to you friend,
Carol
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- July 7, 2011 at 5:06 pm
To All, especially King,
I did call my Onc Surgeon and updated her…since i hadn't heard back and she works in tandem with my Medical Onc…i would say she is in line for the chemo…i am taking the chemo right now…CVD…which is pretty standard…vinblastine, decarbozine, cisplatin-which is a stronger version of carboplatin…i do two rounds 5 days on 2 weeks off then rescan to see if i am responding…if i do then two more rounds and on to clinical trial or IL2…everything is hinging on braf results which STILL isn't back…yet
Because this is so fast moving noone wants to biopsy and wait for recovery time…they want to stop it right now…and keep me strong enough for immunotherapy/clinical trial…they do what they can to keep me comfortable but chemo combos are rough…very tired, headache, my liver side swollen hard to breathe and constipated…i feel like two week old chalky dog-doo that's been rained on and sliding ever so slowly towards the sewer grate…just hope i respond to chemo and later immuno…have to imagine chemo attacking mel and winning…
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- July 7, 2011 at 5:06 pm
To All, especially King,
I did call my Onc Surgeon and updated her…since i hadn't heard back and she works in tandem with my Medical Onc…i would say she is in line for the chemo…i am taking the chemo right now…CVD…which is pretty standard…vinblastine, decarbozine, cisplatin-which is a stronger version of carboplatin…i do two rounds 5 days on 2 weeks off then rescan to see if i am responding…if i do then two more rounds and on to clinical trial or IL2…everything is hinging on braf results which STILL isn't back…yet
Because this is so fast moving noone wants to biopsy and wait for recovery time…they want to stop it right now…and keep me strong enough for immunotherapy/clinical trial…they do what they can to keep me comfortable but chemo combos are rough…very tired, headache, my liver side swollen hard to breathe and constipated…i feel like two week old chalky dog-doo that's been rained on and sliding ever so slowly towards the sewer grate…just hope i respond to chemo and later immuno…have to imagine chemo attacking mel and winning…
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- July 5, 2011 at 1:27 pm
Boots,
You know I have no medical advice to offer but I want you to know that you're in my thoughts and prayers. You weren't kidding when you said you have an aggressive melanoma! But you're MORE aggressive and tougher and you're going to make this wish it had never messed with you.
Pulling for you Boots.
Lord, in Your mercy, open doors for Your child here and bring her healing. Thank You. Amen and Amen!
Grace and peace to you friend,
Carol
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