How long does a person live with esophageal cancer that has spread to the liver(stage IV)?

My mother in-law found out two weeks ago she has esophageal cancer and it has went to her liver, she is 64 years young and had her first chemo treatment a few days ago which is not having her feel very good, but she won't tell us everything the doctors are saying like how long does she have to live, she just says it's not good!! What does that mean?? As a family I think we should have an idea on her time left here so we can start preparing our minds , so if there is anyone who knows anything please let me know. We are sure she probably won't be around this time next year but if it;s shorter than that we need to know. Thank you for your time in reading this I hope you can help.

Esophageal cancer is a very aggressive cancer. Treatment of stage IV esophageal cancer usually includes chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and surgical removal of the affected part of the esophagus. Unfortunately, once it has spread, especially to places like the liver, long-term survival is not likely. I am betting that without treatment, she's probably looking at 3-6 months, but with treatment, she's probably looking at up to 18 months. Given that she won't tell you all what the doctor is saying, she's probably looking at the lower end of the spectrum.

I just want you to know that I'm thinking of you and your family and hoping that the remaining time your mother in law has is filled with love and peace. And that when the time comes, her passing is as easy as possible. Good luck to you and God bless. Report It

My mother lived twelve weeks. Same scenario.

My heart goes out to all of you, and I wish I had some words that could help you....

I'm sorry to say this, but once it hits the liver, it's not going to be long at all.

STATISTICALLY SPEAKING MAYBE TWO YEARS DEPENDING ON TREATMENT TYPES, ARE THEY DOING CHEMO & RADIATION TO SHRINK THE TUMORS ARE THEY GOING TO OPERATE TO REMOVE THE TUMORS? tHE BEST ADVICE I CAN GIVE YOU IS TO LOOK AND TREAT ANYONE YOU LOVE AS THE LAST DAY YOU WILL SEE THEM. WAKE UP EVERYDAY ARE REALIZE THAT YOUR LOVED ONES COULD BE TAKEN FROM YOU AT ANY TIME.

First, it means SHE MAY BE "on a short leash" regarding her time left because once something spreads to the liver, that's the case. Besides the brain, the liver is one of the most life-giving organs man has. Though there are patient confidentiality laws in some states (Texas has one), perhaps, if the patient hasn't signed a written statement saying they wish not to have their medical history disclosed except to qualified medical personel, if the doc knew the circumstances surrounding why you want to know, they will tell you.

Sorry to hear this, why won't she tell you anything? She needs to let the family know what is going on, can you talk to her doctor? Give her a bit of time, its only been two weeks and she is young, the news is crushing to her.

Stage IV: There are 2 substages, IVA and IVB.

Stage IVA (any T, any N, M1a): This stage indicates that the esophageal cancer has spread to distant lymph nodes. If the esophageal cancer is in the upper part of the chest, it has spread to lymph nodes in the neck. For cancer of the lower part of the esophagus, it has spread to lymph nodes in the abdomen.

Stage IVB (any T, any N, M1b): This stage indicates that the esophageal cancer has spread to more distant lymph nodes or other distant sites, such as the liver, bones, or brain.

Survival Rates by Stage

These numbers, from the National Cancer Data Base, describe the outcomes in 11,154 patients diagnosed in 1998:

Stage Percent of patients 5-year relative survival rate


0 1% 52%
I 10% 41%
II 21% 26%
III 18% 13%
IV 26% 3%
Unknown 25% 鈥?


The 5-year survival rate refers to the percentage of patients who live at least 5 years after their cancer is diagnosed. Five-year rates are used to produce a standard way of discussing prognosis. Of course, many people live much longer than 5 years. In addition, people diagnosed and treated in 2005 are likely to have improved survival rates than from 1998, due to improvements in treatment and care since that time. The 5-year relative survival rate incorporates the assumption that people will die of other causes and compares the observed survival with that expected for people without esophageal cancer. That means that relative survival only talks about deaths from esophageal cancer.

My father lasted less than 12 weeks from being diagnosed with an advanced colon cancer to dying from secondary liver cancer. I'm sorry to give you news like this, but the prognosis for liver cancer is not good.

Only her doctor can give you a better idea on this, as he will know how far advanced it is, but if your MIL doesn't want to divulge, then I'm afraid the doc won't divulge.

As a medical professional, I would guess less than 6 months. It is hard to accurately determine a persons life expectancy, based on their health and type of cancer and response to therapy. Liver cancer and esophageal cancer are not easily eradicated and effect so many parts of the body. I would respect her decision to hide this fact and just spend as much quality time with her as you can.

First of all let me say that I am so very sorry.... it sure does not sound good. You should start preparing yourselves and your kids if you have them that she will probably be gone soon. There are people that do survive all odds against what the doctors say... so if you are prepared and she comes out of it and beats the odds you all will be happier than ever.... but her chances are not good ~ my grandfater died with this same thing and it was very hard... not a good death and so much pain... be there for her and love her while you have her. Take care and I will pray for you and your family not to mention her.

The textbooks say that, on average, patients with metastatic esophageal cancer live 12-14 months. Now, obviously, some die sooner and some die later. Chemotherapy has not been shown to significantly improve upon that number.

There are, of course, many different treatment options available. If there are not many lesions in the liver, or if they are confined to one lobe, then there are some ablative procedures that can be done to the liver itself. Of course, there remains chemotherapy and radiation therapy with surgery for the esophagus.

I would encourage the family, and the patient, to have an honest discussion about how much she is willing to go through in order to maximize her chances of living, if possible. Her doctor should be made aware of these familial discussion as well, so that they can do what everyone feels is appropriate.