Sqad Or Anyone With Medical Knowledge - One For You, If You Wouldn't Mind.

[Greedyfly]

I asked Sqad for advice a few months ago about a relative who has Gallbladder cancer which had spread and unfortunately that member is terminal.

Even more unfortunate now another person I know has also recently underwent 'routine' gallbladder surgery and they have also found cancer. The surgeons removed what they could but told her they would have to go back in again to remove the rest. Obviously they have been doing tests in the mean time to see if it has spread elsewhere and they do not want to operate so soon after the first.

She has just had an MRI and a CT scan. The CT scan results have come back but she will not get the results until she sees the specialist next week. However she has had the MRI results back and they have found 'something ' on her brain. They now want to do a lumbar puncture.

Is this the normal procedure - the lumbar test? After a little Googling (I know it doesn't help generally) I seem to only be able to find sites that say they do the lumbar once they have found cancer in the brain. It could be me misinterpreting the information or it could be just plain wrong.

I get the impression she was told that the 'something' on the brain wasn't cancer. But I wonder why the test if that is the case?

Any information and advice will be gratefully received as I am worried and hope that her cancer won't turn out like my relative also.

[Sqad]

\\ recently underwent 'routine' gallbladder surgery and they have also found cancer.\\\

That doesn't indicate whether it is malignancy in the Gall Bladder OR the adjacent liver........a biopsy would help in that situation and that would give us some indication of the prognosis.

\\\\Is this the normal procedure - the lumbar test\\\

Yes.....perfectly normal following an abnormality on a brain MRI.

The "something" may well have nothing to do with the cancer, but it certainly is suspicious and a LP may well aid in diagnosis.

The brain is not a common site for gall bladder cancer spread (if it is gall bladder cancer) buit if the cancer is in the liver AND the brain then we are hunting for another site of primary cancer.

Too early to say more at the moment, but will be interested in any further developments.

[Greedyfly]

Thanks Sqad - will let you know as things progress.

[Wak]

I came across the following today and, whilst it won't answer any of your questions, it does make very interesting reading re. cancer cure.

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2013/03/10/ketogenic-diet.aspx?e_cid=20130310_SNL_Art_1&utm_source=snl&utm_medium=email&utm_content=art1&utm_campaign=20130310