Secondary Liver Cancer: Symptoms, Prognosis & Treatment


Secondary Liver Cancer

A secondary liver cancer diagnosis impacts every aspect of your life. If you or a loved one has received a secondary liver cancer diagnosis, it is important that you not only receive all of the information related to this condition, it is also important that you understand your treatment options. At Cancer Treatment Centers of America (CTCA) we understand how important it is that you understand your treatment options and can be an active part in choosing a treatment plan that best suits your needs. If you would like to learn more about our approach to cancer treatment, and whether or not CTCA is the right treatment facility for you, call 800-615-3055 and speak with one of our Oncology Information Specialists. Or if you are more comfortable, you can also chat online about your secondary liver cancer.

Information on Secondary Liver Cancer

Secondary liver cancer is a cancer that did not originate in the liver, but originated in some other part of the body and eventually spread to the liver. It is important to realize, however, that even though the tumor spread to the liver, secondary liver cancer will behave according to its origin. Prostate cancer involving the liver will behave like prostate cancer.

Secondary Liver Cancer Causes

Secondary liver cancer is always the result of primary cancer elsewhere in the body. Primary cancer is caused by the body's cells continuously dividing and growing into a lump called a tumor. If the cancer cells that make up this tumor escape via the bloodstream and settle in the liver, it becomes secondary liver cancer.

There are several primary cancer sites from which metastatic tumors in the liver may originate, including lung, kidney, breast, stomach and colon. Even though there are many possible origins, secondary liver cancer results from the spread of primary colorectal cancer up to 50 percent of the time. In some cases, the origin of secondary liver cancer cannot be found, even with medical testing. The reason is that the primary tumor may be too small to detect and is not causing any symptoms. This is occasionally referred to as unknown primary cancer. Secondary liver cancer has many possible origins because of the important functions the liver performs.

All of the body's blood passes through the liver. It is the organ of the body responsible for removing toxins from the bloodstream making, which makes it a likely place for cancer cells to settle. Because the liver filters the body's blood, it is often the first site of metastatic spread. As a result, prognosis for secondary liver cancer does not always mean the cancer cells have spread to other organs of the body, making early discovery even more important.

Secondary Liver Cancer Symptoms

Routine tests are often responsible for the discovery of secondary liver cancer because many times it does not cause any symptoms for a long period of time. If symptoms do occur, they may consist of the following:

Weight loss
Loss of appetite
High temperature
Nausea
Lethargy
Enlarged spleen

Other secondary liver cancer symptoms include vague discomfort in the upper, right part of the abdomen due to an enlargement of the liver. The right shoulder may also feel pain. Nerves beneath the diaphragm are connected to nerves in the right shoulder. When the liver becomes enlarged, it will stimulate the nerves in the diaphragm and cause a discomfort in the shoulder.

Jaundice may also be a secondary liver cancer symptom. This is caused when the bile ducts become blocked and bile produced by the liver flows back into the bloodstream. Bile in the bloodstream will cause the whites of the eyes and skin to become yellow. Jaundice may also cause dark-colored urine, pale-colored stools and very itchy skin.

Secondary liver cancer can sometimes trigger ascites, which is swelling in the abdominal cavity resulting from fluid build-up. Ascites may develop for a variety of reasons:

Cancer cells have spread to the lining of the abdomen and are irritating it, causing fluid build up.
Less blood protein may be produced by the liver upsetting the body's fluid balance and causing it to build up in certain areas, including the abdominal cavity.
Cancer cells may cause increased pressure in veins leading to the liver. This will result in a collection of fluid in the abdomen because it cannot pass quickly enough through the liver.
Fluid may build up due to the lymphatic system being blocked by cancer cells. The lymphatic system is responsible for draining excess fluid through the urine, and if blocked, the system cannot drain effectively.

These are all secondary liver cancer symptoms, but it is important to know that these can be symptoms for a variety of other conditions as well. If you are experiencing these symptoms, it is important that you get them checked by your doctor as they may require medical attention.

Prognosis for Secondary Liver Cancer

Prognosis for secondary liver cancer can result from a variety of diagnostic procedures. One standard procedure is a physical examination. The examination determines if your liver is enlarged or tender to the touch. If so, the doctor may perform further tests to confirm the diagnosis and determine if the cancer has spread to other parts of the body. The tests include:

Extreme Drug Resistance (EDR) - EDR is a highly accurate test for solid tumors. It determines the probability of the tumor's resistance to specific chemotherapeutic drugs.
Gamma PET - this tool used in determining a prognosis for secondary liver cancer and uses simple sugar to administer diagnostic radiation. Cancer cells uptake sugar at a much faster rate than normal cells and, this tool allows our experts to examine tissue function at the metabolic level in your body and offer more accurate detection and management at an early stage.
Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) - Detailed images of the liver can be revealed through a combination of a computer, magnets and radio frequencies. An MRI helps CTCA radiologists and other specialists determine the best possible secondary liver cancer treatment by identifying the stage of the disease.

After one or more of these tests have been performed, a doctor can clarify the prognosis for secondary liver cancer. If primary cancer was not previously identified in some other part of the body, further tests may also be required to determine where the primary cancer is located.

Secondary Liver Cancer Treatment

At Cancer Treatment Centers of America, we use a combination of both traditional and new, innovative therapies to help facilitate your secondary liver cancer treatment. The type of secondary liver cancer treatment is dependent on certain factors, including where it has spread from, which parts of the liver are affected, and whether other parts of the body are also affected. Our cancer experts will work with you to determine the appropriate combination of therapies, which may include:

Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT) - this form of secondary liver cancer treatment employs a powerful, state-of-the-art computer program that plans a precise dose of radiation based on individual tumor size, shape and location. This most advanced form of conformal radiotherapy allows for higher radiation doses while sparing more of the surrounding healthy tissue.
Intra-Arterial Chemotherapy - is able to deliver a higher response rate than chemotherapy given orally or intravenously and can be used for any tumor with a blood supply that can be isolated.
Chemoembolization - advanced secondary liver cancer treatment that involves injecting chemotherapy directly into the blood vessels that feed the liver tumor.

CTCA also enriches your secondary liver cancer treatment with complementary and alternative therapies such as naturopathic medicine, nutritional therapy, mind-body medicine, image enhancement and spiritual support. For more information on how Cancer Treatment Centers of America can help you, please contact us by telephone 800-615-3055, Email or online chat. You can also request an appointment. Secondary liver cancer is truly a fight for your life, and at Cancer Treatment Centers of America, we are with you every step of the way.

Additional Cancer Information and Resources

Don't miss this additional liver cancer information. Click on the links to the right to learn more about liver cancer or call 1-800-615-3055 to discuss your treatment options with one of our Oncology Information Specialists.