Worried about liver mets

Yvette1952

I had a liver ablation in Dec 18. This was the only met I had apart from a bit of uncertainty about sternum. I have been on Tamoxifen since Sept 18. I went to get results of scan on Monday and was told that ablated lesion was fine but another was showing. Due to this lesion showing up so quickly they think that chemo is in order. I feel really devastated by this news and anxious about further chemo. Any ideas on what chemo will be suggested and questions I should ask oncologist about treatment. Was I naive in hoping that my liver would be clear! Good news was that sternum was stable (it has never been confirmed as mets

pajim

Yvette, I'm so sorry another liver met showed up. You are not naive at all -- this is quite the blow. Seems like you are prone to liver mets and that the tamoxifen isn't working any more.

I have no idea what they are going to suggest but if it must be chemo (as opposed to more hormonal treatment -- Ibrance and Femara?) you should ask for Xeloda. It's oral and the side effects relatively easy.

Normally if one treatment stops working you start the next 'line'. Which in this case would be hormonal. I would ask them why not that? Why chemo? Is their plan to do chemo for a bit then put you back on hormonal therapy?

Then the next question would be whether you have a choice on chemos and what their reasoning is for the one they recommend to you. How do they see the next few treatments going?

One last thing, if you're on tamoxifen you must be premenopausal. I trust you're on Lupron or something of the sort to ablate your ovaries? If not you should be.

Love and hugs to you too.

Yvette1952

Hi Pajim, my onc is talking about Xeloda but has not as yet given other options. I am due to meet with him next week or week after. I am post menopausal, was on anastrosol prior to return of cancer in 2018. Following surgery chemo and rads they switched me to Tamoxifen. Thank you for giving me questions to ask my oncologist I will go in with my list of questions and if not happy seek a second opinion

pajim

Aah, I see. Then the hormonal left is Faslodex. But you could to Xeloda first. It's supposed to be good for liver mets. That's not true for me but for most other people yes.

Best of luck at the MD's office. . .