Stage: The tumor was localized at the time of initial diagnosis. At the time of contacting Onco.com, it had begun spreading to the patient’s liver.
Problem
The patient had so far delayed surgery at the advice of a local doctor, who had prescribed targeted therapy with the drug geftinib. This treatment, however, had failed in controlling the tumor’s growth, and the patient’s condition had not improved.
Questions
The patient’s family wanted to know if surgery was a safe option. They wanted to understand the possible outcomes of the surgery, and needed information on the frequency of follow-up scans after her treatment got completed.
The Onco.com Solution
We formed a team of medical and surgical oncologists. The surgical oncologist on this panel was a specialist in liver cancer procedures. Upon a thorough review of the patient’s medical history, it was found that the tumor was easily extricable via surgery. The patient had waited an additional year at the insistence of a local doctor, whereas surgery could have led to remission early-on.
Our panel recommended that the patient should go ahead with the surgery, as that was recognized as the best line of treatment which would improve her chances of survival.