Nodules

[RonShirt]

I was diagnosed with Cirhossis of the liver a couple of years ago. Sometime later they said I had 'nodules' on the liver and that , ideally, they'd like to 'ablate' them using a high frequency probe. I wanted to know if they were cancerous and had a biopsy last year. The result was that they appeared to be non-cancerous, but that they could become so, in time. A routine MRI scan in January this year showed that the nodules had grown in size. The specialist still wishes to ablate or nullify them using TACE procedures, (a tiny tube is inserted into an artery and fed through to the liver and deposits tiny plastic granules in order to cut off the blood supply to the nodules).

This scares me, especially as these things have been identified as being non-cancerous. I can't see why they can't just leave them alone and continue to monitor them They seem to be obsessed that they will turn cancerous and I can't quite discover why. Is it simply down to experience gained over many years? Is there any data relating to follow ups or cancers eventually following non-interference? I can't seem to get any clear answers.

Can anyone help?

Thanks,

Ron

[Hidden]

Hi Ron,

You have some really important questions regarding your treatment that only your specialist should advise on.

Can you perhaps request another appointment and direct your concerns to them?

Best wishes

Trust1

[RonShirt in reply to Hidden]

Well, I've had another appointment. Firstly I put down my concerns in an

e-mail but the specialist didn't want to respond to that (perhaps understandably unwilling to put down anything in writing I thought for fear of litigation!)

I spoke to him and another specialist but I must admit I felt a little intimidated and wasn't able to really unearth the real reasons for his belief that the lesions would definitely be 'better out than in', so to speak. It could actually be as primitive a belief as that, I considered!

[Hidden in reply to RonShirt]

Do you have a liver nurse specialist? they may be able to act as a 'go between' and speak with the consultant and then spend time explaining matters to you? Alternatively, you could contact PALS in the hospital ( patient advice and liaison) and ask them to help facilitate another appointment?

Here is a link to the NHS PALS info:

nhs.uk/common-health-questi...

[RonShirt in reply to Hidden]

Thanks I'll investigate ...

[Hidden in reply to RonShirt]

Good luck.