Progression to liver :(

Laurie, I fully understand your feeling now. After a long period calm, "progression" is like the first time hearing "you have BC!"

If you are still ER+, and have not gone thru AIs, there are many old and new or combination horemonal treatments. Check out Faslodex (kept me stable for over 3 years), ibrance, ......and other threads and combination threads. There are many new ways to treat ER + patients. Hug to you.

Laurie, I started with bone-only mets, too. I had convinced myself that I was in a safety zone and that nothing would happen to me as long as the mets stayed in my bones. Last June, my scans revealed the unthinkable. Not only did I have progression in my bones, I also had three lesions in my liver, and they were mets! They varied in size from 1.2 cm to 2.1 cm. I felt like I had fallen through my safety net and was free-falling off into some scary world where my time would be measured in weeks or months rather than years. My husband and I had a good cry together and decided to forge ahead into what ever we had facing us. When we met with my MO and I told him how I felt, he took a deep breath, reached for my hand, and told me that my liver mets were relatively small (using his fingers to show me how small), that I was not feeling sick, and that liver mets can often be controlled for a long time. We discussed several possible treatment plans, and he told me why he recommended one over the others. I had done some research and was happy with his recommendation. Last December, my scans show stable bone mets, and my liver mets were much less visible. I am due for another scan next week, and I except the good news to continue. I still feel great. I know how difficult it is to come face to face with progression, but there are still many treatment options available to you. Remember that we are all here to support you. Many people on these boards have been living many years since their liver mets diagnosis. I will be thinking about you tomorrow as you go to your appointment.

Big hugs from, Lynne

Hi Laurie,

Progression is so scary- sorry this hit you. My mom also had progression to the liver this year after having bone only mets for 4 years. What a shock!

We also thought it was the end and our thoughts went in the same direction. She went from bone only to at least 7 liver lesions (looked like more but they were able to clearly identify 7). We weren't eligible for any targeted liver treatments because she had too many lesions- we were really getting scared. There is a thread on liver treatments on this site with more info. Perhaps you will be eligible for some.

My mom started eribulin (halavan) and it has been a miracle drug. She has been on it for a few months and none of the liver lesions showed on her recent pet scan! Her tumor markers also dropped to almost normal range from being quite elevated.

So there are options and there aremany drugs that are still available. Let me know if you have any questions. Best of luck.

Laurie, I think I tell myself every time a new situation arises, that it is the beginning of the end. A good example is this weekend, I woke up with a horrible backache and feeling very bloated/crampy. After a brief stint of being upset and thinking I was going to the ER, I realized I had spent the whole day Sunday landscaping our yard, carrying heavy stuff and sitting on the ground. So I did the things you would do for backaches and constipation and am feeling 100% better. I have heard progression, then things stabilize and like pajim I return to the land of denial. As Lynne said, there are many woman who go for years with liver mets and I just pin my hopes on being one of them.

SchnauzerMom, I was very interested to see your post as we have a similar profile and it does me good to see you five years out with liver mets. Your words were very uplifting for me. Cheers to many more!