About P. Ravi Sarma <B>MD</B> Expertise I am board certified in Internal Medicine, Hematology, Medical Oncology and Geriatrics. I was on the faculty of Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta from 1979 to 1995, holding the position of Associate Professor of Medicine (Hematology and Oncology) at the univerisity and Associate Professor of Human Oncology at the Winship Cancer Center at the time of my leaving Emory.I have been in private practice since 1995 in Metro Atlanta area in Gwinnett county. Our group consists of four oncologists, with three offices in Gwinnett County, Ga.
Experience worked on and published several papers in the area of clinical oncology.
Question My husband has multicentric heptocellular carcinoma. He is not eligible for a transplant nor
the freezing of the tumors. We have an appointment
with a Radiology specialist to talk about Chemoembolization. He has severe cirrhosis of the
liver along with several cancerous tumors. What is
your opinion of this procedure and do you think it would extend his life. Also, what would the quality of life be? I would like to know in general what the life expectency is with this type of cancer and how the disease progresses and
what we can expect in the end as far as pain, etc. Is there a website I can go to that will help me with answers to these questions? I have had one doctor tell me that he could live up to two years if he does nothing. This seems a little
unrealistic to me and I would like your opinion.
I would also like to note that he has recently had
pneumonia, he suffers also from diabetes, congestive heart failure, esophogeal varicies.
Thank you for your help.. Jo Ann Stewart
Answer Multicentric hapatoma (that is what your husband has)no cure available with the present day medical treatments. I use Radio Frequency Ablations to provide relief from symptoms such as pain.
Generally, life expectancy is in months and not in years. An occasional patient does live 1 to 2 years.
Pain can be effectively controlled with pain medicines, so that there will not be suffering related to pain. Towards the end, there may be gradual drifting into liver failure and coma; sometimes infection sets in or there can be bleeding from the stomach (due to what are called varices, that develop from cirrhosis and back up of pressure in the portal venous system)
Radio Frequency Ablation may increase risk of infection or liver failure temporarily. Sometimes, I have had to keep patients in the hospital for about a week or so to manage the pain and fever and subtle liver failure called encephalopathy.
The American Society of Oncology (ASCO) has a website called PLWC.org (patients living with cancer) that provides useful information. I also like the Yahoo medicine website as well as the Mayo Clinic website.
