My father in-law has stage 4 liver cancer. He has typically stopped eating and drinking, and has swollen feet in the last 4 days. Is swollen feet one of the symptoms he will get? He is in pain with his stomach and currently taking percosets. I am not to happy with his doctor and we just need some help to understand. Father in law just after 3 weeks, has done the pep scan yesterday. Don t know when we will find out results :(. We have called Dr office for answers.
Hi, Thanks for writing in. Swollen feet can be an indicator of diseases involving the liver, kidneys and heart in most people. Having a stage 4 liver cancer can be expected to cause swollen feet. This is because of the fluid retention in his body. Fluid collection is a common problem in those with advanced cancers. There is fluid retention which happens in the chest, abdomen and legs. This is because the fluid transport mechanism is compromised and therefore there is a lot of fluid coming into the extracellular space and this is increasing with time. The treatment choices in a patient like your father-in-law is limited. The main goal should now be to slow the progress of disease and give him pain relief. I understand that he might be having a lot of pain and this requires a detailed pain relief prescription by his doctor. Please do not worry.