Liver, biliary & pancreatic cancer
12 articles shown
When Your Chemo Dose Is Cut Because of Your Kidneys — Cisplatin and the Common Myth About a Salt-Free Diet
Cisplatin can stress the kidneys, so doses are often adjusted based on blood tests. The key to protecting the kidneys is adequate hydration rather than a salt-free diet, and diet or supplement changes should be guided by the care team.
When Your Belly Swells Up Every Evening After Pancreatic Surgery — Understanding and Easing Post-Operative Bloating
Common reasons abdominal bloating worsens after meals and in the evening following pancreatic surgery — slowed gut, gas, enzyme shortage, and altered anatomy — plus practical self-care and the warning signs that mean you should tell your care team.
When There's Something You Want to Finish Before the End — Honoring the Wish to 'Set Things in Order Yourself' in Advanced Cancer
For people with advanced cancer who feel a strong wish to finish something themselves before the end, this article offers gentle guidance on honoring that wish through setting priorities, putting affairs in order, talking with the care team, and seeking emotional and spiritual support.
Sudden Double Vision or Dizziness: Why Radiation May Come First When Cancer Reaches the Skull Base or Cranial Nerves
When advanced cancer reaches the skull base or cranial nerves, it can cause double vision, dizziness, and headaches. This plain-language guide explains how brain MRI and a spinal tap help locate the problem, why radiation and steroids are used for relief, and why radiation and chemotherapy are often sequenced rather than given together.
One Pill After Surgery: A Guide to Capecitabine (Xeloda) as Adjuvant Chemo for Bile Duct and Gallbladder Cancer
A plain-language guide to oral adjuvant chemotherapy with capecitabine (Xeloda) after gallbladder or bile duct cancer surgery — how it is taken, common side effects like hand-foot syndrome and mouth sores, and when to call the hospital.
Living With a Biliary Drainage Catheter (PTBD): Signs of Blockage, Infection, and When a Redo Is Needed
A patient-friendly guide to biliary drainage catheters (PTBD): why they are placed, how to care for them, the warning signs of blockage and cholangitis, and when a repeat procedure is needed.
When Chemotherapy Stops Working: Understanding the Shift from First-Line to Second-Line Treatment in Pancreatic Cancer
Advanced pancreatic cancer is treated using sequential "lines" of chemotherapy. This article explains in plain language why resistance develops, how tumor markers like CA19-9 should be interpreted, and what factors guide the move from first-line to second-line treatment.
Stage 4 Liver Cancer with Bone Metastasis: Systemic Treatment Options to Consider
General information on systemic treatment options (combination immunotherapy and targeted therapy) and bone-protective care for stage 4 hepatocellular carcinoma with bone metastasis, including notes on treatment costs and support programs. Actual treatment should be decided with your physician based on liver function and overall condition.
Why Use 'Heat' Instead of a Knife on Small Liver Cancer — The Story of Radiofrequency Ablation (RFA)
Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) is a procedure that inserts a thin electrode into the tumor and uses radiofrequency energy to generate heat that burns away the cancer cells. Because the area that can be reliably burned at once is limited, it works best on small liver cancers — usually 3 cm or smaller and no more than three in number — and under these conditions it produces results comparable to surgery. Since the abdomen does not have to be opened wide, recovery is fast and it is advantageous for patients with weak liver function or frequent recurrence, but tumors attached to large blood vessels or nearby organs are difficult, so the medical team must decide based on location and size.
How Is Bile Duct Cancer Diagnosed — ERCP and Biopsy Made Easy
Diagnosis of bile duct cancer starts with blood tests and imaging such as CT and MRCP, and leads to ERCP and biopsy, which directly examine the narrowed segment of the bile duct entrance and take tissue. ERCP can serve as both diagnosis and treatment, easing jaundice with a stent, but because there is a risk of pancreatitis, observation after the test is needed. Because the bile duct is narrow and deep, biopsy often does not catch enough on the first try, so even a negative result is re-examined depending on the imaging findings. Since diagnosis takes time, it is good to consult with the medical team at each stage.
When Your Belly Swells — Daily Management for Cirrhosis and Liver Cancer Patients with Ascites
Everyday self-care to practice at home when ascites has built up from cirrhosis or liver cancer. It covers a low-salt diet and tips for cutting down on salt, standards for fluid intake, recording weight and abdominal measurements under the same conditions every day, tips on meals and posture, and even the warning signs that mean you must go to the hospital immediately, such as peritonitis and hepatic encephalopathy — all organized at the patient's eye level.
Immunotherapy and Targeted Therapy for Liver Cancer: The Treatment Flow at a Glance
Liver cancer treatment branches according to tumor size and number, liver function, and whether it has spread. Early on, curative options such as resection, radiofrequency ablation, and transplantation are used; as it progresses, embolization that blocks the blood vessels comes in; further along, targeted therapy and immunotherapy appear. Recently, combination therapy pairing immune-checkpoint inhibitors with anti-angiogenic drugs has become the first-line treatment for advanced liver cancer, and since each drug has a different side-effect profile, the key is to talk with your medical team the moment any change appears.