What Causes Elevated Bilirubin Levels In A Colon Cancer Patient?

Brief Answer:
If liver met confirmed, then rise in bilirubin marks gradual deterioration

Detailed Answer:
Hello and welcome.

Thank you for writing to us.

I have gone through your query with diligence and would like you to know that I am here to help. If you do not mind, please clarify whether the spoken person has been confirmed to have metastasis to his liver and peritoneum?

If this is the case, then the rise of bilirubin marks gradual deterioration of the health of the liver unfortunately. If the liver metastasis has been confirmed, then the liver's health will only worsen.

I hope you find my response helpful. Please feel free to write back to me for any further clarifications, I would be more than happy to help.

Best wishes.

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Brief Answer:
If damage is due to chemo, it should return to normal

Detailed Answer:
Hi.

Thank you for that information.

The bilirubin rises when there is an abnormality in the liver either disease, syndrome or a growth (tumor or cancer). In this case, as cancer is confirmed the mets that are large must be continuing to grow in the liver causing its health to deteriorate. Bilirubin helps determine the health of the liver, and so as it seems to be rising off late it could be because the mets in the liver may be either increasing in size which must be further damaging the liver or the mets must be taking up all the nutrition resulting in damage to the liver.

I think the cancer is what is damaging the liver, and not the chemo; but chemo is also quite strong and could have caused some amount of damage to the liver also.

Best wishes.

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Brief Answer:
Quite possibly is :(

Detailed Answer:
Hello.

I am afraid it could be, depending on how many mets he has and how far the spread is, we can estimate his life expectancy (not more than a year I am guessing). I am sorry to be the one informing this to you.

Best wishes.

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Brief Answer:
Life expectancy is in majority of cases inaccurate

Detailed Answer:
Hi.

Not good for prognosis or life expectancy, I am afraid. A close relative of mine had 3 small ones spread to his lung, and if I had to go by textbook I would have to give him a 6-18 month life expectancy, which I did.

I had to then leave to go out of the country for a while (5 days), on the night of my return, before I boarded the flight I was informed about his demise.

So you see things are unpredictable, but based on the provided information I would say life expectancy is anywhere near 2 months to 8 months (approximately).

Best wishes.

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Brief Answer:
Explained sir

Detailed Answer:
Hi.

The mets take up all the space, leaving less of the healthy cells in the liver. The lesser the healthy cells, the lesser the percentage of function. Also the mets take up nutrition leaving lesser for the cells of the liver, and thus resulting in death of cells.

The bigger ones grow bigger because they have more and more nutrition for themselves, and in turn this spells bad news for the liver.

Best wishes.

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Brief Answer:
Even one of them is enough to cause a rise in bilirubin

Detailed Answer:
Yes it most certainly can sir.

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Brief Answer:
Unfortunately no other option sir

Detailed Answer:
Hi.

If chemo is not helping, it means the cancer has reached a stage where options like surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, etc; cannot be used anymore. In such cases we have to unfortunately just go about palliative therapy (treating the symptoms to make the individual more comfortable), because the main condition is beyond control and all we can do is to make the individual as comfortable as possible until the irrelevant death approaches.

Best wishes.

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