What is the probability that Liver "shadows" are tumors?

My Mum is 47, not generally healthy and has fought with illness all her life. 4 weeks ago she had a pain in her side that caused her to throw up, without being nauseous. She thought she was going to die, so we rushed her to the hospital, they pumped her full of morphine and it eventually receded. Since then, she has had many blood tests, some of which showed her liver enzymes to be elevated, suggesting an infection, I think. For a while they thought she had some sort of stone blocking her bile duct, but no longer. Appearently they found two "shadows" on her liver in an UltraSound. She has convinced herself that that is all they are, and the head radiologist has yet to see the scan so we don't know. I know that they could be benign cysts, fatty spots etc. Without more information, could someone give me an idea of all the things they could be, and the likelyhood that they are tumours? Are there any questions I should be asking her/ her doctor?
If they are tumours, I need to know the statistics on liver cancer and treatment, survival rates. We need to fight this, whatever it is, but not in the metaphorical dark. I have the feeling she's too afraid to look all this up herself; thank you to anyone who can help her. If you need more information, I'll do my best.

[terrilynnsawyers]

i don't have any idea what the odds of these shadows being cancer or not, but please know that you are doing a great thing by trying to get information for your mom. i am currently awaiting a ct guided liver biopsy this wednesday the 10th. i am a type i brittle diabetic and i am in the hopsital alot with dka. i have had intense stomach pain for years now, and especially since april 09. i have a ct done back then and they said i had 3 suspicious spots on my liver, but at the same time they said i also had gallstones and needed a gallbladder test. my doctor is not very experience, i truly believe that she is straight out of med school, any way, she had just ignored all my requests for tests. i ended up in er a few weeks ago wtih dka and the er doctor read the ct report and told me i needed an mri immediately. he said these spots were more than likely begien blood vessel tumors, well the mri report turned out to be very scary. they have ruled out these blood vessel tumors, and are saying there is a very strong possiblilty that the lesions are cancerous. i have never ending abdominal pain, especially in my right side, just below my ribs, i vomit all of the time, and i can't keep wieght on, this was never a problem until about a year ago. i am bouncing between 117-125 lbs. i am 40, just lost my dad to lung cancer, lost my grandma to lung cancer 3 years ago, and have two great aunts who died from brain cancer, so i am not hopeful. my mom is trying to stay positive and upbeat, me, i am sinking into a deep depression. i have to be ok, we lost my brother 5 years ago at the age of 33 to a massive heart attack, my mom's mom is the one who also died of lung cancer, my cousin, her nephew was killed in a car accident 2 years ago, he was like her child as well as her nephew and then daddy died in december. i hope that you and your family find out quickly what is going on with your mom, i believe the not knowing, and the darn waiting is worse than knowing if you have cancer or not. i will pray for you, the Scaffolds, and i will check back on this site to see if you have posted anything. if you want someone to talk to you can email me :***@****, i don't have any answers to help you, but i would be happy to listen if you need someone.
terri