liver biopsy-Ref-liver metastases

[sunanda]

To
Dr.Fernando Roque
Ref- a question on liver metastases
Sir,

As advised by you we went ahead and had a biopsy done on the liver.The hypoechoeic lesion was reported  as squamous cell carcinoma.Sir,What next?
What is the prognosis now?
Additionally a pap smear test was also taken. the report is awaited.
Is there a possibility of a cure now?
I hope I will be blessed with an answer.
Thankyou sir.

[Fernando Roque, MD]

Hi.  I'm sorry to hear that your mother has developed a phobia of doctors and hospitals.  I can understand how she feels, but her treatment will go more smoothly if the doctors can have her full cooperation.  Please assure her that the doctors are only trying to do what's best for her, and that the doctors will respect her choice as to what types of treatment and tests she wants to receive.  

It's hard to say definitely how long she can survive.  It depends on how strong her body is right now, on how aggressive the cancer is, and on the effectiveness of the treatment which she will be given.  If her disease turns out to be cervical cancer, the five year survival rate for those with stage 4 would be around 15-30%.  If the chemotherapy is effective, these odds would probably improve.

[sunanda]

Dear Sir,

The doctor has started a palliative chemo with gemcitabine(1 gm).My mother has a phobia now of doctors and hospitals and tests.She refused any further tests on her body.The doctor said the next step was a biopsy of uterus.

Sir, under such circumstances what is the maximum time span that she will be able to get.

[Fernando Roque, MD]

Hi.  The next thing to do is to look for the organ from where that squamous cell carcinoma might have originated.  Primary liver cancers usually present with a histology of adenocarcinoma (not squamous cell carcinoma), so your mom's liver mass must have come from somewhere else.  The most likely candidates would be the lungs, the head and neck area, and the uterine cervix.  It's important to first determine the organ of origin so that treatment will be more focused. Squamous cell carcinoma coming from the lungs, for example, have a different treatment regimen compared to one coming from the cervix, even if they share a similar histology.  

But whatever the organ of origin may be, your mom's prognosis isn't good.  As we have discussed in your earlier post, your mom already has stage 4 disease.  This means that any treatment done to her would only serve to control the disease, at best.  Curing the cancer is definitely out of the question at this point.