My mother who is in her 70s has been under consultant care for her non alcoholic fatty liver disease with cirrhosis for the past 10 years. She was diagnosed with HCC in May this year and after initially being told they were putting her on end of life care we got a second opinion with a slightly better prognosis. Instead of 6-12 months she has now been given a possible 12-18 months. She has been told that they will try TACE with her and if it works without complications like asites, they believe this will give her 27 months.
Bearing in mind, through following a strict healthier diet (not for weight loss so still trying to keep the calories up) her liver function has markedly improved. However, we are still nervous about taking up this option of TACE since it could affect her liver function and cause further scaring, and send her into liver failure sooner.
I would be greatful if anyone can help, especially if in a similar situation and what approach they have taken. Is TACE worth it?
There is no option for a transplant ( that is a whole other story that has frustrated my mother and the whole family considering she's been under consultant care all this time). She is classed as too old and the probability of surviving beyond 5 years is less than 50% so she falls out of the criteria.
Thanks for any support 
Hi Galadriel and a very warm welcome to the online community which I hope you'll find is both an informative and supportive place to be.
I don't have any personal experience with TACE but I noticed that your post hadn't had any replies yet. I've searched the group and found these previous posts which mention TACE for you to have a look through.
It would be great if you could pop something about your mum's diagnosis and treatment so far into your profile as it really helps others when replying to you and also when looking for someone on a similar pathway. It also means that you don't have to keep repeating yourself. To do this click on your username and then select 'Profile'. You can amend it at any time and if you're not sure what to write you can take a look at mine by clicking on my username.
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"Never regret a day in your life, good days give you happiness, bad days give you experience"
