On 6 May I met with Saxon Connor Hepatopancreaticobiliary Surgeon at Christchurch Hospital. An interesting person, very active, but happy to answer any and all questions. He seemed confident that the tumor could be removed safely, but of course detailed all the risks.
He also proposed to remove my gallbladder, as it would get in the way of the liver surgery and removal should not have a significant impact on my quality of life.
We discussed further treatment following surgery, he considered that chemotherapy would be a good idea, even if it appeared that all tumors were removed. Following my original surgery in 2006 the oncologist evaluated my condition and said that I had a less than 2% of the original cancer spreading. Due to the impact of chemotherapy on me and based on the low probability that it would do any good we agreed to do no subsequent chemotherapy - sometimes we make the wrong decisions.
Saxon explained that, based on past cases, I had a 45% probability of surviving 3 years and a 24% chance of surviving 5 years. A bit rough but it is reality when a cancer type is invasive, as mine clearly is. Chemotherapy would increase both percentages by about 15%, so it looks viable.
I was offered a couple of dates for surgery, I selected 26th May as the first available.
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