[michka]

Hi CB.
My experience with liver resection is close to Jessica's except that I was operated in march this year so it is too early to say if it was a good decision or not. My last pet/scan in august did not show activity in the liver.

Almost 4,5 years after my initial dx, a liver met was detected by pet/scan confirmed by MRI and nothing else. I decided to have it taken out by coelioscopy. That was not a good idea. First because they did not get clear margins and second is that although they passed an echography machine over the liver they did not detect anything else. A month and a half later another Pet detected 2 other tumors. I had started Herceptin and Tykerb right after the coelioscopy. I then went for liver resection after considering cyberknife. I did well because the 2x1cm tumors were taken out but this time the ultrasound detected 2 other very small tumors around 3mm inside the liver that were taken out during the operation with RFA. They were not detected on the pet or the MRI I had before the operation. Ultrasound works better of course during an open operation when you pass it close to the liver than during a coelioscopy. During the operation unfortunately or fortunately they also found 2 positive nodes they took out also. They took other suspect spots and nodes out but they were negative. Without an open operation they would not have seen that. Taking the mets out will also allow you to know if their characteristics are the same as the ones of your initial tumor or if they changed.They also took out my gallbladder. I had an epidural put in before the operation I kept it 48 hours. I stayed in the hospital less than a week.
I had a lot of digestion problems and still do but a month after the operation I started Navelbine. I think the problems I still have come from the chemo. I was very tired but I put that also on the navelbine+tykerb+herceptin I now take.
As you can see I did things in a different order: first resection and then chemo. Why? Because I don't trust chemo. My initial chemos did not work well. I had them as neoadjuvant so when I had my mastectomy I could judge that. Taking out a met is not a cure but at least it is not that one that will kill you if chemo fails and it may give you time.
In june a small bone met appeared on my sternum and I had no other choice than to continue chemo anyway. (I just had the sternum met "cyberknifed") If for a long enough period I have no other met and my markers are OK I will just stay on herceptin and tykerb. But I am not there yet.
It is a difficult decision CB. It is not a standard procedure for BC (yet?) but we are a few now to have followed it. Ask all the questions you have again and again to your onc and surgeon and then decide.
I hope you understand my poor English. I send you a lot of cyber hugs.
Michka