IMAGE-GUIDED
CRYOABLATION
LIVER METASTASIS SYMPTOMS
Galil Medical’s Cryoablation systems have been cleared by the FDA for use in the cryotherapy treatment of liver metastases. Ultra-thin 1.47mm cryoablation needles make it possible for the physician to precisely target single or multiple small metastatic tumors and destroy them in a single session while sparing healthy surrounding liver and nearby vital structures.
The liver ranks second only to the lymph nodes as a common site of metastasis of cancers from other organs. In the United States, the most common extrahepatic primary cancer associated with secondary liver cancer is colorectal cancer, and metastasis to the liver is the leading cause of death in patients with colorectal cancer. Approximately 20% of patients diagnosed with colorectal cancer each year will already have liver metastases at presentation, and another 20-30% will develop liver metastases subsequently.
Because it is well known that the liver is a common site to which cancer spreads, physicians are extremely vigilant for liver involvement during follow-up care of patients with certain primary cancers. Certain screening procedures such as CT and/or MRI scans are almost always performed on a regular basis in an attempt to detect metastatic activity. Many secondary liver cancers are discovered during these screening procedures, often before a patient has experienced any specific symptoms of liver metastases.
These patients are also instructed to be watchful for certain symptoms that could indicate the spread of their primary disease to the liver. These symptoms include:
• Unexplained weight loss
• Stomach pain that will not go away
• Swelling in the area of the stomach
• Feeling very full after a small meal
• Nausea
• Jaundice (yellowing of the skin and whites of the eyes)
• Lack of appetite
• Fever
• Fatigue, unusual tiredness
• Lump or pain in the right side (just below the rib cage)
• Pain around the right shoulder blade
• Itchy skin |
