Support for families dealing with cancer and other serious illnesses (Part II)

My mother has been diagnosed with a primary liver tumor, which developed as a result of hepatitis. It's a 4cm mass located in the lower part of her liver. The doctors have determined that she is operable, so she’ll need to undergo surgery to have that section removed. Has anyone here gone through something similar or had any experience with this kind of procedure?

I’m really hoping someone steps up with some insight here; my dad had a secondary lesion on his liver, and it just wasn't operable.

In these kinds of grim situations, it always seems to me that if a surgeon says it *is* operable, that’s actually a silver lining worth holding onto. Sending you strength—wishing you a very speedy recovery!

Can someone who actually understands this stuff please help me make sense of these results?
Abdominal MRI and MRCP were performed using standard multiplanar sequences, both native and dynamic post-contrast, for a patient who has already undergone surgery for bile duct cancer and resection of segments IVB and V of the liver, currently presenting with jaundice. The liver shows an atypical shape due to the previous resection. At the base of segment IV, there is a subcapsular lesion measuring 1.4 cm with diffusion restriction; it appears nearly isovascular and is likely secondary in nature. During the MRCP, dilation of the intrahepatic bile ducts was noted, reaching widths of up to 0.9 cm. There is also chronic narrowing of the common hepatic bile duct, which shows thickened walls near the confluence. At the confluence itself, there is an oval, inhomogeneous lesion measuring 2 cm with diffusion restriction; in certain sequences, it appears isovascular with the liver or slightly hypervascular. Morphologically, this could be considered a Klatskin tumor or a secondary lesion related to the primary disease. Post-cholecystectomy status. The splenoportal axis is patent, and the portal vein shows no signs of infiltration. The liver’s shape is atypical following the resection, specifically at the base of segment IV. In the gallbladder fossa, there remains an oval collection filled with hypointense content measuring 2 cm, which might just be an organized postoperative collection. Within the hepatogastric ligament, retroperitoneally, periportally, laterocavally, and in the mesentery, there are enlarged lymph nodes ranging from very small to borderline large at 1.1 cm. Above the head of the pancreas, there is an inhomogeneous lesion measuring 2.1 x 1.3 cm, and a similar one is located below the level of the stomach measuring 3.1 x 1.1 cm, both showing diffusion restriction. These infiltrates could be part of the primary disease or simply clusters of inhomogeneous lymph nodes. The spleen has homogeneous parenchymal intensity and normal size. A splenunculus measuring 1 cm is noted medially to the spleen. The pancreas is normally positioned and shaped, with no dilation of the pancreatic duct. The adrenal glands are normally positioned without signs of expansive processes. The kidneys are appropriately sized with preserved parenchyma and no signs of hydronephrosis. No free intraperitoneal fluid was detected on the scan.

Hey there,
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Chicago area location
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Could someone who's gone through the process of scheduling a PET scan reach out? I could really use some insight.

Is there anywhere else besides the Medikol location in downtown besides the one on Vinogradska, and how long is the typical wait for an appointment? Thanks!

If people are starting to panic, I’d just head to a private clinic myself.
I see you can go to Affide Clinic
at Jordanovac 99, or even the Drinković Clinic at 5 Sulekova St.

Bottom line—if there's any suspicion of cancer, go private and get a
PET scan done ASAP. You probably won't have to wait much longer if you're paying out of pocket.

I came across some info suggesting there are people at Rebro Hospital being seen via referral?

We're talking about an oncology patient who just finished a round of chemo and has started on targeted therapy. They're being sent in to check how far things have spread, since unfortunately, the cancer was already confirmed.

Karen Ruiz65 said:I came across some info suggesting there are a lot of people waiting at Rebro via referrals?

We're talking about an oncology patient who has already completed a chemo cycle and started targeted therapy. They're being sent for imaging to check the extent of the spread, since the cancer was unfortunately already confirmed.

Wait times at Rebro Hospital aren't usually that bad.
I suppose it might be somewhere within a 30-day window, maybe.

Karen Ruiz65 said:Can someone please chime in if you've actually gone through ordering a PET scan?

Are there any other places besides the Medikol over in downtown besides the one on Vinogradska, and how long is the wait for an appointment? Thanks!

You can get a PET scan at Rebro Hospital. But listen, your oncologist—the specialist handling your case—has to be the one to order it first. Once you finally land an appointment date, then you go back to your primary care doctor to grab the official referral so you can actually head in for the scan. I’ve done this twice myself... the first time I got a slot in about 20 days, but the second time I was waiting a whole month. Honestly, I think it just depends on how many people are ahead of you in line. Usually takes about ten business days to get the results back...

A friend of mine was diagnosed with stomach cancer about a month ago, and she ended up having surgery to remove her entire stomach and spleen. For the first 20 days, the recovery was actually going great—she was handling food really well and eating throughout the day. But then, around day 25, things took a turn, and now she’s dealing with daily bouts of vomiting liquids (just water, saliva, spit, or even bile if it's a particularly bad day). To be clear, she isn't throwing up actual food or whatever she just ate; it's more like this intense urge to vomit, but in the end, she only ends up bringing up water. Has anyone dealt with something like this before? They already did a gastroscopy and an MRI, and the doctors are saying everything looks fine. We're honestly at a loss for what to do next or who to reach out to, especially since they can't start chemotherapy while she's in this state. Thanks.

Hello everyone. Unfortunately, I’m right there with you—I’ve had my own battles with cancer, tumors, and cysts, both for others and personally...

Now, I’m facing another fight because of a family member. An oncologist confirmed a tumor, but then the PET scan didn't show anything?
I was wondering if anyone could share their thoughts or if you've dealt with something similar. Is it actually possible for a 3D PET scan to miss a tumor if it really is there? Thanks...

I’m asking for some advice, please... My mom has uterine cancer, which has spread to her adrenal glands and lymph nodes under her arm. She’s been in the hospital for 2.5 months now and she's just completely wiped out. It's heartbreaking—she can barely eat anything at all. I'm basically having to give her food and liquids through a syringe. Because she’s in such bad shape, she isn't even a candidate for surgery right now. Does anyone have suggestions on how to help her regain even a little bit of strength so she can handle the surgery they said they could perform at Rebro Hospital if she gets stronger? It's so hard to see her like this. Her doctor is sending her to a palliative care facility, and I honestly don't know what to expect there. Has anyone dealt with this before? What should we do next?

Jessica Chavez said:Hey everyone... unfortunately, I'm right there with you all. I've dealt with my own share of cancer, tumors, and cysts because of people close to me, and personally too...

Now I'm facing another battle because a family member is going through it. The oncologist confirmed a tumor, but then the PET scan shows nothing?

I'm wondering if anyone can weigh in here... has anyone else dealt with this? Is it actually possible for a 3D PET scan to miss a tumor if it's really there? Thanks...

I mean, if it doesn't show up on a PET scan, what *can* see it?? It just seems so weird that a PET scan would miss it, like...

Jack Diaz4 said:I mean, if it doesn't show up on a PET scan, what else could it possibly show up on?? It makes zero sense that it isn't visible via PET scan and

I honestly don't get it either. Is the oncologist really basing everything solely on fluid in the lungs acting like it's cancer, even when every other test comes back normal? Since this is the first time I've ever heard of something like this, I decided to ask if it's actually possible... I've dealt with cancer and tumors before, so I know how the process usually goes, but I have never experienced anything quite like this. 🤔

If you're getting nowhere, just go find a second opinion... there really should be more indicators for cancer than just fluid in the lungs alone.

My oncologist actually pointed me toward www.oncology.info. It’s packed with useful info for cancer patients, so I figured I'd share—it might just be the helpful resource someone else needs right now.

Jessica Chavez said:I honestly can't wrap my head around this either. Is the oncologist really basing everything solely on fluid in the lungs—which is acting like cancer—even though every other test result came back totally normal? Since this is the first time I've ever heard of a situation like this, I’m going to go ahead and ask if it's actually possible. It's not like I'm new to dealing with cancer and tumors; I know how this process usually unfolds, but this specific scenario is something I've truly never encountered before. 🤔

There are certain types of tumors that simply don't show up on a PET scan, and let's be honest, no diagnostic test is ever 100% perfect. If they've confirmed the presence of cancer cells within the pleural effusion, then we are looking at metastatic disease. The next crucial step is identifying the primary site where the disease originated so that the medical team can select the most effective treatment plan.

crimsoncanyon3 said:There are certain tumors that just don't show up on a PET scan; no diagnostic test is ever 100% perfect. If they've confirmed cancer cells in the lung pleural effusion, then we're dealing with metastatic disease. We really need to pinpoint where the primary site is to figure out which treatment plan makes the most sense.

Thanks for the info.
The first round of chemo is done, though we're still in the dark about exactly where the tumor is located and what the full picture looks like. 👎

Jessica Chavez said:Thanks for getting back to me.
The first round of chemo is officially in the books. We’ve crossed that first milestone, though things are still a bit blurry. To be honest, we're still waiting for the full picture to come into focus regarding exactly where the fluid is draining from and the precise boundaries of the tumor. It's a process, but we're taking it one step at a time. 👎

I hear you. It’s possible to start therapy even if the primary site of the cancer hasn't been pinpointed yet, but it’s a bit like trying to hit a target through thick fog. Since the treatment isn't specifically tailored to a single origin point, it lacks that surgical precision, which unfortunately means the overall results tend to be much more limited.

Well, here I am back on this thread, unfortunately. Uncle needs to head over to Jordanovac tomorrow; after a mountain of tests, they’ve finally confirmed it's cancer. He needs more follow-up scans to pin down exactly what we're dealing with... does anyone here know what the situation is like right now given the COVID-19 mess? Are they actually seeing patients normally, or is everything a disaster? I don't exactly have anyone to call for the inside scoop...