Liver Cancer after Hepatitis C Treatment

Liver Cancer after Hepatitis C Treatment is not the norm, but it is a threat to those of us who have severe liver damage. Reading about Heptacellular Carcinoma, or HCC, and Hepatitis C can take your mind in a couple of different directions. If you read the statistics for surviving the cancer, it is doom and gloom. But just as there is hope for being cured of the Hepatitis C Virus, there are also hopeful options for dealing with HCC. I love to talk about hopeful outcomes! At one time my end stage liver threatened my life. New drugs were released by the FDA in 2011. I was able to clear the virus and have been going ever since!

Because of the Hepatitis C Virus silently causing damage in so many people, Liver Cancer is on the rise. There are different estimates, but most agree that HCC ranges anywhere from the 3^rd to the 6^th leading cancer in the United States. The virus is deadly and can lead to liver scarring, called fibrosis. By the time many people are diagnosed, their liver is End Stage. Keep in mind that 2 weeks after I began treatment in 2011 with the new protease inhibitors, the virus was not detectable in my body. I remain undetected today! So no more damage is done by Hepatitis C once a person becomes SVR or sustained viral response.

This is where the hope comes in. Because my liver is no longer full of inflammation from HCV, my liver enzymes have stabilized. A stable body is an important part of the treatment for liver cancer for many reasons. With a low sodium diet, I have been able to get off of diuretics and have not had ascites drained in almost 4 years. With a healthy plant based protein, I have supported my liver and helped it to digest food with less of a burden. A beta blocker has prevented any varices bleeds. As my hepatologist and oncologist began to discuss options, it quickly became clear that there could be a cure for liver cancer in my future.

Primary Heptacelluar Carcinoma is different from other types of cancer because it starts in the liver. It is usually the result of liver damage, or cirrhosis. A scarred liver from Hepatitis C can be a breeding ground for tumors and good host for HCC.  Sometimes when there is cancer in another part of the body, it will spread to the liver, but it is not the same as they type that many Hepatitis C patients have.

I am an optimist and ALWAYS look for the bright side.

I say it this way: I do not have cancer. There is a cancerous tumor on my liver. HCC can be one tumor or several. They can be large or very small. For example, there can be one tumor or many small ones. The way that it is treated depends on the size, location, grade, stage, and the health of the patient.

There are Several Treatment Options for Liver Cancer after Hepatitis C Treatment

Many times doctors will offer Nexavar which is a targeted therapy that focuses on killing the rapidly growing cancer cells. It also attempts to block any growth of newer tumor cells. Taken orally, it has been proven to help many people stop the tumors from getting bigger and bigger. My doctor did not feel like it was an option for me with the size and location of my tumor and also the condition of my liver.

Ablation is a popular method for treating liver tumors. It is a safe procedure that does not require long hospital stays and also offers a quick recovery time! They use radio-waves to heat the tumor up and basically destroy it. Think Star Wars! I would have been a perfect candidate for it except my tumor was too close to my portal artery and they would not risk it. We do not want to blast that vein!

This needle was developed just to use radio frequency ablation. It is called an RF probe and goes into my abdomen smooth and straight.

Transcatheter Arterial Chemoembolization or TACE is the treatment that we are going with. They inject beads that are filled with chemotherapy through a catheter. The catheter is inserted in the femoral artery in my groin. I think the word groin just sounds weird, but anyway… the beads are aimed directly at the tumor and shuts down blood supply. The little beads spend a few days swirling around the tumor. Their job is to kill and shrink it! I like the word “beads”. Sounds kind of pretty, girly and fru-fru. That cancels out the uckiness of the word “groin” for me.

Cyrosurgery where they basically freeze the tumor is a newer way of dealing with liver cancer. It has shown promising results and is used along with resection when possible. Ice Ice baby.

Resection is where the tumor and a part of the liver where it is located is removed. The liver is so amazing that it will grow more tissue and soon end up normal size again. Sadly, people with advanced cirrhosis are not good candidates to have the tumor removed or resected. Sometimes there is just not a lot of good liver tissue to work with. As a result, the part of the liver that is left after the tumor is removed is still unhealthy. The next thing you know, more tumors can continue to show up in the liver at different sites.

That can happen to me even after the TACE is done. New tumors can spring up anytime. They will continue to zap them using either ablation or TACE. In the meantime, they are going to put me on a transplant list. Transplanting a new liver through an organ donor is a great option for a cancerous liver. We’ll just toss that old liver with the cirrhosis and the HCC out! I am trying to make this sound fun. It is shocking, and painful to write. But I am hopeful! There are many success stories!

I am heading to Oklahoma City to spend the rest of the week at the Nazih Zuhdi Transplant Institute. I know my hepatologist, Dr. Elbeshbeshy, pretty well. We’ve been working on screening and post Hepatitis C treatment for a couple of years now. This week I have 4 full days scheduled with a whole lot of tests. I will also get to meet the surgeons. I think his name is Dr. Duffy and I can’t wait to meet him!

Today was a day of packing, yoga, a bike ride, writing, and a trip to the Forest of Peace. I am filling an ice chest with my good liver loving food. We got a room with a fridge. My daughter and granddaughters are going. I even found a hotel that gives great hospital rates AND has an outdoor pool. The girls will love that.

Right now, it takes a lot of hunkering down with quiet time for me to be at my best to greet the world. That’s where a trip to the forest and some prayerand meditation time help. My inner work is the most important thing I do. It is a lot like the Hepatitis C Treatment days with the Ribavirin! Liver Cancer after Hepatitis C treatment brings a new challenge for sure. But the lessons I learned while on treatment will carry me through.

I am sure to learn a lot more this week. I have started a blog on the TACE procedure and transplant stuff and cannot wait to share it with you! I hope you never have to face it. I have recently learned that many with Hepatitis C have gone down this road before me. There are a lot of great stories about TACE and also transplant. It is not going to be a walk in the park, but hope prevails!

Promise me that you are following through on all your screenings for Hepatocellular Carcinoma. I am holding you in my heart and I feel the love that you have expressed in all of your messages. As always, I know you forgive the lack of editing. You know what I’m going through and it is our heart that counts. Thank you for holding me in YOUR heart. Gosh I Iove my besties. Xoxo Karen:)

I counted the word hope at least 5 times in this blog. Haha! That’s what I’m talking about.

pics via metro.co.uk, integris.com, theladyandherpen.com