Patients who had tumors shrink in response to chemotherapy given before they had surgery for colorectal cancer that had spread to their livers had no better long-term survival than patients whose cancer remained the same or even got worse.

Doctors in New York followed 111 patients who had chemotherapy before surgery to remove liver metastases (neoadjuvant chemotherapy). After five years of follow-up, median overall survival was 62 months.  Overall survival was similar in three different groups:  those who had a complete or partial response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy, those whose tumors remained stable, and those whose cancer progressed during chemotherapy. Read the rest of this entry »

The Liver Symposium will bring together patients and health care providers at the Palmer House in Chicago on May 15 and 16 in a unique collaboration of contining medical education and cancer survivor input to share the latest information about managing liver tumors.

Sponsored by YES, a grassroots organization of liver tumor survivors dedicated to helping patients learn their options, the Symposium will provide both supportive survivor-led sessions and presentations from medical experts.

Jim Belushi and the Sacred Hearts will perform at a special welcome dinner for survivors on Thursday evening at 7:30.

Scholarship help is available for survivors and patients to attend.  Contact Suzanne Lindley for more information or call Darlene Baum at Wake Radiology: (919) 854-2189.  Read the rest of this entry »

One of the major sites of tumor spread of colon cancer spread is the liver.

The liver can compensate for a long time despite having large tumors.  This is reason that our blood tests of liver function remain normal despite the liver having multiple lesions.  However, if the tumors grow to a certain size or interfere with the bile ducts, they can cause the liver enzymes. including the bilirubin, to increase. When bilirubin increases patients develop jaundice, indicating that the liver is not functioning well. Read the rest of this entry »

An early clinical trial of focused radiation therapy for liver metastases appeared to be safe without causing liver disease.

Stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) delivers high doses of radiation to a carefully targeted area of the body.  Its goal is to destroy cancer cells while leaving healthy tissue unharmed.

Radiation oncologists at Princesss Margaret Hospital at the University of Toronto used SBRT to treat 68 patients with cancer that had spread to their liver, 40 of whom had colorectal cancer.  Patients, who were not eligible for surgery or additional chemotherapy, had six radiotherapy treatments over two weeks. Read the rest of this entry »

There are more and more interactions between surgeons and oncologists for patients with metastatic colon cancer.

Colon cancer is very special since we can cure metastatic disease which is not usually possible for cancer. In colon cancer we talk about cure and not only survival. Because we can cure, we need to make sure we don’t miss any opportunity to do so.

Over the last five years our approach in patients with metastatic disease with liver-limited lesions has changed. We know that with more successful chemotherapies, we are able to convert more and more patients to a situation which allows a surgical resection with the intention to cure. Not all surgeries will cure, but it gives us a chance to cure. Read the rest of this entry »