Topic: Liver Mets - Did you have a Biopsy Done?

I didn't have my liver biopsied. Like you my functions are fine. I'm on PARP trials at the moment-which is keping the mets in the pleura stable, but the liver mets have been increasing. Part of me is hoping that the liver will take longer to respond, but am not too confident taht this is the case!

When I progressed to Stage IV my oncologist ordered a bone biopsy to update my tumor profile.  Unfortunately, no cancer cells were retrieved with the biopsy.  When the cancer showed up in my liver, I had a liver biopsy.  The cancer was the same type (ER+/PR+) as the original cancer in 1989.  Also, we learned it is Her2- (that test was not done in 1989).

I did not have a liver biopsy although when mets were first found in my lungs, I had a biopsy.  I got the liver mets three years after the lung mets and they have responded to hormone therapy so I assume the hormone status is the same.  It never occurred to me that the liver mets might be different than the lung mets.  That is food for thought.

Never had a liver biopsy -- it was too small and hard to reach when first dx-ed.  Didn't bother to biopsy when mets came back.  Hoping for remission on Gemzar, Herceptin and Zometa.

My first onc didn't want to do a biopsy, so I looked for a surgeon who did it all the time.  He happened to be in PA!  They put me completely out for it.  He removed two lesions, so he got plenty of cancer cells!!  It turned out to be ER/PR+ and HER2-, just like my BC.  But there was some kind of powdery stuff there, too.  So now the oncs and surgeons disagree over whether it is BC mets or a neuroendecrine carcinoma (could be from the liver itself).  At any rate, I'm really glad I did the biopsy.  That first doc thought it was an hemogemioma (sp?).  He wanted to wait and see.

Ruth

I was diagnosed with lung, bone, and liver mets and didn't have biopsies on any areas.  I don't understand why that's necessary.

Thanks to you all for your feedback on my post. I have another scan scheduled mid December and if the mets are still unchanged the plan is to request a biopsy. The mets were present at diagnosis and no other tests were done beyond the CT scan. My biggest concern is to one actually confirm that they are BC mets and also get a pathology report on them to insure that they match the results from my primary tumor.

Thanks again for your input

Jill

Hi to all, My mom has diagnosed with stage four  with liver met last week, this is my first message to forum. I wanted to write here because i read many thing at here that are beneficial for me. I saw this title about liver biopsy and i thought this is time to pay back my earning. Maybe my answer is late for the person that asked the question but it may be beneficial for new readers.My mom also made a liver biopsy. It was very easy, it was done by an injector and with local anesthesy. We just stayed at hospital for 6 hours just in case, and then went home. But its easiness is related to where the tumor is as fas as i understood. The  biopsy doctor told that, it was behind the liver, so it was so easy. I pray for patience and heal to god for all of us.