Looking for Treatment Options - 14 tumors in liver

Welcome!
Welcome to this forum. I am sorry for your brother's diagnosis. I have not had experience with SIRT or Tace, someone else may be able to help you with that. I have colon cancer with mets to my liver; I have not had surgery for any of these tumours, but have been treated with folfiri + avastin successfully so far. Good luck to you and your brother.

herdizziness said:

Tumors
I was given no chance of surgery, too many numerous tumors (mets) to liver, to count.
I was given Oxiplatinan, Avastin, and Xeloda mixture. Hopefully, now, looking at surgery.
Don't give up hope, keep looking, try the chemo regime, see if it works for him, if not, get your onc to switch, or find another onc.
I was given 6 months MAX 8 months ago, I'm looking good for a long time.
Told to go home enjoy family and then die.
Well, I'm still here, probably going to be here for a few more years.
His onc, depends on where to go. Mine tried to send me to Stanford Tumor Board, they wouldn't look at a Stage IV, so now, seeing a onc from Stanford and going in from that route.
I'm not sure what state you are in. Please give that info, so that others can give suggestions!!!!

Would Sloan-Kettering be a candidate.....
Am I right in saying that their liver expertise is equal to or above the rest in options ?

Also, I found this updated in the WW web..there is a contact number or patient referrals at the bottom as well.....Good Luck to you......

This was updated to Jan 2010......

The University of Maryland Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum Cancer Center (UMGCC) in Baltimore offers a treatment for inoperable liver cancer known as Selective Internal Radiation Therapy (SIRT).

SIRT is a non-surgical outpatient therapy that uses radioactive microspheres, called SIR-Spheres®, to deliver radiation directly to the site of the liver tumors. This unique, targeted therapy spares healthy tissue while delivering up to 40 times more radiation to the liver tumors than would be possible using conventional radiotherapy.

Our physicians are very experienced at using microscopic beads to treat inoperable liver cancer. In 2000, UMGCC was the first center in the nation to successfully perform liver-directed therapy with TheraSpheres -- which used microscopic glass beads to deliver radiation to liver tumors. SIR-Spheres, developed by the Sirtex Medical, was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2002 for patients with primary colorectal cancer that has spread to the liver. It is the latest of a wide range of liver-directed therapies we offer to best meet our patients' needs.

Our multidisciplinary team of gastrointestinal cancer specialists hold weekly conferences to review each patient's records and determine the best treatment plan. The team includes surgeons, medical oncologists, radiation oncologists, radiologists, nuclear medicine physicians and pathologists, among others.

Our Liver Directed Therapies Program includes a full array of treatment options for patients with primary and metastatic liver cancer. In addition to SIRT and traditional surgery, chemotherapy and radiation approaches, these treatment options include:

* Radiofrequency ablative therapy
* Chemoembolization
* Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy

While treatment with SIR-Spheres®, is generally not regarded as a cure, it has been shown to shrink liver cancer when combined with chemotherapy, more than chemotherapy alone. This can increase patients' life expectancy and improve their quality of life.

Learn more about SIRT:

These microscopic radioactive beads, called SIR-Spheres®, deliver radiation directly to the tumor site while sparing surrounding tissue.

* About SIRT
* Patient Information/Next Steps
* SIRT FAQs
* Treatment Team

For more information, please contact our Patient Referral Coordinator, Rosemary Wilson, at 410-328-7904.

This page was last updated on: January 26, 2010.

I had chemo/embolization Dec of 08
Nov of 08 I had surgery to cut cancer out of my liver. When they opened me up the doc did an “Oh crap” and just closed me back up.

I had chemo/embolization Dec of 08. They told me they killed off ½ of my liver. On this last rectum surgery this August, my doc visually checked out my liver and said it looked great. PET scan also shows it to be cancer free and back to normal size.

I would look into to it.

Kerry