Topic: Just diagnosed with liver metastasis

Hi Krystyna,

I was recently dx with liver and bone mets a month ago. Not something anyone wants to hear. I had almost made my 5 year mark and also initially dx Stage 2b.

I had a liver biopsy after my CT/PET scan to confirm my tumor was breast cancer and still estrogen positive which it is. I had been on arimidex for 4 years and my oncologist said it quit working. I am now taking aromasin and will take it for 6wks and then more scans to see how well it is working (fingers crossed).

I also went to MD Anderson in Houston and they felt aromosin was the way to go. I am too new at this, so this is the best information I can share with you, but I am sure more experienced ladies will chime in. As far as age, I am 58, so not too far behind you.

I am sorry you had to join us, giving you a big hug and try not to worry too much. Once you get your treatment plan you will feel a little better.

xoxo

Hi Kystyna,

I received my diagnosis the end of Jan of this year. No breast surgery as I was stage IV from the begining with mets throughout my skeleton including a 9cm tumor that destoyed my right femur and now I have a rod holding my leg together. Also mets to the right lung and liver. I did well on a clinical trial with Arimidex but after 2.5 mos. I had progression in the liver. Went onto Faslodex and everything progressed. The hormonals did get rid of my lung mets however. Now I am on chemo (Abraxane) and my breast tumor is almost gone after just three cycles. My onc is talking about going back on the AL's after three more cycles of the chemo.

As Dreamwriter said, we are all different individuals and react diferently to treatment. There have been women on this board and also www.bcmets.org who have lived with mets to the liver for 6 yrs and longer. And there is new stuff coming out all the time.

Where there is life there is hope!

Sandra age 66

Hello Kirby,

 Thank you so much for such a quick response. I guess we all spend quite a bit of time in a front of the computer screen... To the best of my knowledge ,MD Anderson is one of the better cancer treatment centers. It is good to hear that they think that Aromasin is the way to go.I am not sure if a second chemo is an option for a liver metastasis? My first chemo was really hard on me since I had a severe allergic reaction to Taxol. They switched me to the Abraxane which I tolerated quite well.. Tamoxifen gave me a DVT . I almost died from it. Looks like an Arimidex is not for me??

Please keep me posted how the Aromasin works.I am hoping to see my oncologist sometimes next week.

Hugs.

Krystyna

Diagnosis 12/18/2006 , multifocal 2,5 cm, grade 3, 3/21 nodes, ER+/PR+, HER2-

You never know you may still be able to take it.  Lots of people take trips inbetween tx times.  Also, we are already into October, your PET is scheduled for the 13th, it needs read and then you see the onc.  The 24th isn't that far off from those dates.  If you are not going to be gone too long the onc may say it's ok to take the trip and start tx as soon as you return.  Normally when mets are found it isn't so bad that waiting an extra week to start tx makes that much difference in the big picture.  I say wait til you talk to the onc before canceling that trip.  A nice trip is just what you need to get in ther right frame of mind to deal with all of this!

Hello ladies,

You are probably right. Maybe I still should go to Colombia ?? I have been traveling a lot since my cancer diagnosis. This year we went to Argentina, New York, Europe(that is  where I am from).

Hopefully will be able to see my oncologist next week and decide together what to do .I am terrified to break the news to our daughter, who is extremely sensitive and very close to me. Our son who lives in Calgary already knows. Since we immigrated to North America, there is only friends here, no close family except the kids. That makes it much harder.

Hugs.

Krystyna

Diagnosed 12/18/2006 at the age of 58 , IDC multifocal 2,5 cm, ER+,PR+, Her2-, 3/21 lymph nodes

A lady I know has been dealing with liver mets for over 10 years.  I also agree with those who say don't cancel your trip, take it if at all possible and have some fun!

Hi, everyone!  I sympathize with Krystyna!  My dh and I planned a camping/horseback riding trip up into the Rockies in Montana last summer.  But due to PETs and CTs, etc, we had to cancel.  Oh, well, the Rockies have been there for a while and they aren't going anywhere very fast, right?

I have a theory about ER/PR+ people (me, too, by the way). My bc was 70% ER+ and 80% PR+.  The mets in my liver were slightly less that those numbers.  I'm thinking that the Arimidex I was taking which, after 4 months, 'stopped working', had killed off most of the 70%/80% ER/PR+ cancer cells, but couldn't touch the 30/20% of the remaining cancer cells that weren't ER/PR+.  And so, of course, they grew!!  I guess the only way to test my theory is to do another biopsy.  Which they probably won't do. 

Another comment, I was on Ixempra and after 2 months, it failed and the cancer grew.  So I am scheduled for a new treatment (I think it's new, anyway) called Intra-hepatic chemoemobolization.  They will go into my femoral artery using an angeogram, travel up to the hepatic artery and inject adriamycin directly into the liver, then seal it off with a temperary foam.  That leaves the chemo locked in there for anywhere from a week to a month to kill the cancer.  Meanwhile, the liver cells are still fed by another larger vein.  This isn't the glass chemo beads.  It's just chemo.  The advantage is that since the chemo doesn't get out into the body, much anyway, the se's are minimal if at all. 

I have 7 active lesions in my liver, all growing fast.  So I guess the docs worry about running out of time trying another systemic chemo.  I don't seem to have cancer anywhere else at this point.

Anyway, wish me luck!  I'll tell you all about it when I return next weekend!  The procedure is this Thursday.

Ruth

Hello all. I am just devastated. I just got my PET scan results. Besides 2 lesions  on my liver , I also have an extensive  bone metastasis. They worry that my spine can collapse. No back pain whatsoever, the last bone scan done in January was clean.

Krystyna

Hello Krystyna,

I am so sorry to hear about your diagnoses.  It is so devasting when learning of this news.  It does take a while, before being able to swallow and digest this news, so give yourself and your family time for this.  I don't have mets to my liver, but I do have bone metastasis.  I do know many ladies with liver mets and that have good QOL and have been living many years with it.  I am also from Calgary.  I am part of a Breast Cancer Stage IV support group if you are interested.  This is very helpful with every aspect of dealing with this disease.  You can PM me for more details or contact the Tom Baker Centre and they will give you some info on it.  If you just have the need to talk, please don't hesitate to PM me, it would be my pleasure to talk with you.  You also need to do your Columbia trip.  A nice trip is just what you need at this time and visiting with your daughter will be a blessing.  The love and caring of family members is so important at moments like these.  Sending you cyber <<<hugs>>>.

Comfort hugs, Danie

Thank you all. I am scheduled to see my oncologist next week. It is going to be a long week. I am just trying to get used to the idea of being terminal... You are probably right that it takes some time to digest it. My family took it really hard.All of you ladies have been a great support. I recently spend a lots of time reading different posts on this board,and find them extremely helpful  to deal with a horrible stress.I would love to hear more from Kirby how does her Aromasin treatment work. I know that Zometa seem to be a miracle drug for bone metastasis. I have read about it quite a bit. I am not sure if it is covered in Canada except clinical trials? Anyone being on Zometa?

Danie, can you please provide me with more information about the stage IV support group?  How can I contact you directly?

Hugs to all of you.

Krystyna

Diagnosed 12/18/2006, multifocal 2,5 cm, grade 3, 3/21 lymph nodes, ER+/PR+,HER2-

Hi Krystyna,

I just sent you a PM (Private Message) with my home email.  Just go on top of this page and you will see a tab that says Private Messages.  You will see that you will have at least one outstanding message. Just press on this tab and it will bring you to my message.  You can reply to this message or sent me a message at home.  It would be my pleasure to chat with you.

As for my bone mets, I take clodronate and it has been working well up to date.  I also had an Oopherectomy last year, since I'm hormone positive ER/PR+.

Looking forword in hearing from you,

Comfort hugs, Danie

Hi Joanne,

Looks like we live with metastasis and believe that we are cancer survivors...In my case basically no liver metastasis symptoms, some back pains but I  have had a back problems for years  so I ignored my aches and pains. Had my bone scan done in January and it was clean... Now looks  like the cancer has eaten large portion of my vertabrae. I just talked to my family doctor who is really concerned about my spine collapsing. They might send me for an urgent radiation treatment??

Good luck with an Abraxane. I tolerated it very well.

Gentle hugs.

Krystyna

P.S. There is a large article in todays Globe and Mail "Gold-standard drug does nothing for some breast cancer patients" They are talking about Tamoxifen...

Krystyna,

I am arriving on this thread a little late. I am very, very sorry to hear about what you are going through. I am a relatively recent metster myself --was diagnosed earlier this year-- and my metastasis is to my spine. my oncologist told me they always radiate spinal mets, even when they are not very extensive, because the consequences of a fracture would be so serious.  

Maybe they have already told you this, but bone mets tend to weaken the structural part of the bone making them susceptible to fracture. But there are drugs you can take to re-mineralize the bone. I have been on one called Zometa since March. It's given intravenously once a month. Some ladies get flu-like side effects but I have not had any problems with it at all. I also had 16 radiation treatments with minimal side effects.

All my best to you,

LIsa 

Krystyna,

I´´m sorry to hear there is so much damage to your spine. What part of the spine are the lesions? I think that makes a big difference in terms of surgery possibilities.

Zometa is a brand name, there are other brands and maybe also a generic. It is one of a few different drugs called biphosphonates. They are also used to treat osteoporosis. There are a number of Canadians on these boards and I dont recall anyone saying they could not get it in Canada but I am not entirely sure.

As for the liver mets, I can´t comment directly but I know I have read posts by ladies with liver mets that have responded very well to treatment.

I know it is a terrible shock to absorb this kind of diagnosis, and I am so sorry you are having to go through this. But don´t despair. As other sisters have commented above, the kind of treatment that is available today can keep metastases at bay for quite some time. I have read many many posts by ladies whose treatment made their lesions shrink a lot in little time; in some cases they can even disappear. The fact that your tumor is estrogen receptive and HER negative is a good sign that it will respond to treatment.

Lisa