I need someone to put my mind at ease please!

Published Nov 9, 2007

76 Posts

Hi guys,

This is my first time posting a new thread and I really need advice. My dad had melanoma of the eye 25 years ago for which he had his eye removed and now has a prosthesis (sp?). They told him if the cancer ever came back it would come back in the liver most likely. Well now it's 25 years later and my dad has lost a lot of weight (about 30 to 40 lbs. over 5 years). Also his liver is enlarged and hard. I felt it myself and it feel s like a big muscle. He has no ascites, jaundice, weakness, fatigue, or fever. I am just scared that it may of come back. He has pain sometimes. His appetite is good. I made him go to the doctor yesterday and they drew blood and he is going to have a CT monday. I'm sorry but I can't wait that long. He went to a doctor at the hospital I work at and they drew blood and when I got to work naturally I looked up his lab results (screw hippa when it comes to my father's health and he also asked me to do it). All of his lab results are normal except his alkaline phosphatase which was 202, his RBC which was 4.17, HGB 11.7, HCT 34. The doctor said he thought my dad had anemia because the conjuntiva of his eye was really pale. So I looked up alkaline phosphatase online and the nih.gov website said that lab value would be elevated in anemia also. I got really excited and called my mom and dad and told them I think he was fine and didn't have cancer because of his blood work. I have been doing extensive online research all night between caring for my patients because I am so nervous. I also think he may have gallstones because I seen that that lab could be elevated with those also and he does have pain sometimes. Sorry this is so long but what I really want to know is if his other blood tests (like ALT, AST, albumin, protein, and electrolytes) would be abnormal if he had a malignancy. They are all within normal limits and I would think that if my dad had liver cancer all of his blood work (especially his ALT, AST, and albumin) would be out of whack. He discovered this hardening 5 years ago and went to a doctor then who did blood tests and they were normal so she said not to worry about it. It's been bothering him so he decided to go to the doctor. Don't you think after 5 years if it was liver cancer, he would be jaundice or have ascites or have other symptoms? I am really sorry this is so long but I am really worried because I need and love my dad and do not want him to have liver cancer. I deal with a lot of liver cancer patients and they look worse than my dad because of the jaundice. I am going to try to talk to my hepatology attending in the morning if I see him. Thanks for any responses and for taking the time to read this long thread.