after a hep c diagnosis, then a liver biopsy, if it comes back cancer then how long to live?
Monday, December 21st, 2009 at
1:47 am
Alexis asked:
all the other blood work was normal but hep c was positive. I can still have liver cancer?
will they do an ultra sound before the biopsy? Or just go right into the biopsy?
all the other blood work was normal but hep c was positive. I can still have liver cancer?
will they do an ultra sound before the biopsy? Or just go right into the biopsy?
Tagged with: Blood Work • Diagnosis • Hep C
Filed under: Liver Cancer
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You are getting WAY ahead of yourself, most of the time liver cancer is the end effect of Hep C sometimes. This is not always the end result of the disease. I have had Hep C for 25 years and still have no sign of liver cancer
The median survival after the diagnosis of liver cancer is 6-20 months. Cancer doesn’t usually develop for many years and only if you have already developed cirrhosis from the hepatitis. If you are newly diagnosed and especially if your utrasound or ct scan is negative you don’t have cancer. The biopsy will tell what damage if any the hepatitis c has caused to your liver. With that you doctor should be able to give a pretty good estimation of the prognosis and what you have to look forward to. The risk of cancer if you already have cirrhosisis about 1-3% per year.
They do the ultra sound to see what kind of condition your liver is in. Having a biopsy does not mean you have cancer. Your life can still be a long, normal life as long as you take care of your body,….no drugs or alcohol. My husband has lived with Hep C for a little over 40 years. He decided to start treatment a few months ago because the treatments have been improved and have less intense side effects and a better percentage rate of helping make the disease dormant. My husbands liver is in very good condition.
We typically associate “biopsy” with cancerous tumours, but in the case of hep c, a biopsy is only to tell how much scarring (called fibrosis) has occurred in the liver. The biopsy results are given in a stage and grade. The stage is how much fibrosis is present, and is given on a range of 0-4, with 0 being no fibrosis, and 4 being extensive scarring. A score of 4 means cirrhosis. Many people have cirrhosis and still live for years if they don’t drink and take care of themselves.
The grade means the level of inflammation at the time of the biopsy. It is typical for the grade to fluctuate.
To answer your question, it is unlikely you have liver cancer. It takes many years for HCV to progress to liver cancer. Try not to worry, and try to read more about hep c. There’s a good website with “fact sheets” about specific aspects of HCV. Check it out when you get some time. Best wishes.