I would like my story published on the website as I am seeking anyone else who may have had the same type of liver tumour that I had. I am keen to find out what treatment they may have had for the tumour and what, if any, follow up treatment they may be having/had. It would also be useful to find out if there was any re occurrence of cancer in the liver following treatment or if it occurred elsewhere in the body.

I am a 61 year old female who has had no particular medical history and no appreciable time off work throughout my working life. My symptoms began in late 2005 when I began to feel more tired than usual and was not eating particularly well. I visited my GP and explained the symptoms to him, explaining that other than tiredness, which I had mentally put down to work and age, and a loss of appetite I really could not explain what could be wrong. I was sent for a chest X ray and a routine blood test, both of which were normal.

During 2006 the tiredness became more pronounced and that I was becoming increasingly anorexic. Again my GP suggested a chest X ray and a blood test. It did not seem to occur to him that there might be an underlying reason for a continuance of my symptoms. I became quite upset about this as I felt that, being a normally healthy person who has rarely visited my GP, he was not really taking me seriously. I am afraid that I lost my temper with him. Several days later however, he rang me and said that he had booked me an abdominal ultrasound.

I had the scan on 24 November 2006 and this was followed by a CT scan the same morning. An abnormality had been discovered on my liver. I was devastated. I was fortunate to be given an appointment with a liver specialist the following Tuesday. He confirmed my worst fears that I had a liver tumour and that it needed to be operated on immediately. The following week I had a PET scan and had the operation to remove the tumour on 11 December during which 50% of my liver was removed. It was discovered that I had a peripheral cholangiocarcinoma of the liver. My gall bladder was also removed but this showed no cancerous deposits. Scans revealed no further deposits anywhere in my body which was a big relief.

After Christmas the consultant referred me to an oncologist. He recommended no further treatment and that chemotherapy was not required. He led me to believe that my cancer was very rare and that little information existed about it. No clinical trials have yet been carried out.

My understanding is that a cholangiocarcinoma normally forms in the liver at the junction of the bile ducts and it is for this reason that my tumour was considered to be rare as it had formed on the lobe of the liver.

I have been a non smoker and drink very little. I am normally a fit and healthy person with no known allergies. I have 2 grown up children and live with my husband in a semi detached house in Surrey.

If anyone has had a tumour with symptoms like mine, I would love to hear about it.