After receiving treatment for several health issues, the last thing Abdelhakim Amro anticipated was a liver cancer diagnosis.
“I have a history of hepatitis and I’d been dealing with lymphoma for about four years, and I thought that’s what I’d be dealing with for the foreseeable future,” Amro said.
That was true, until last March, when Amro woke up in the middle of the night with severe stomach pain. The pain was so bad, that the 60-year-old Oak Creek man drove himself to the Emergency Department at Ascension Franklin.
Emergency medicine physicians conducted blood tests, X-rays and CT scans and found a mass in his body that needed further review, so the team referred Amro to Ascension’s Reiman Cancer Center. After more testing and a biopsy, Amro was diagnosed with liver cancer.
“It was not a good feeling - hearing that I had liver cancer,” Amro said. “It impacted my whole life. I never expected to have another type of cancer, and I just kept thinking ‘what is the next step.’”
“We wanted to make sure we were giving Abdelhakim the full team approach for his care,” Armo’s surgeon, Ascension Wisconsin surgical oncologist Dr. Ajay Sahajpal said. A well-rounded approach and communication between members of a care team yields better results for patients.”
Amro needed surgery to prevent the cancer from spreading to the rest of his liver. He was prescribed medication to shrink the tumor with immunotherapy and radiation therapy as part of a multidisciplinary team approach. This was done to downstage the tumor to prepare Amro for his complex liver surgery.
“Sometimes in health care, patients can get lost in the shuffle,” Dr. Sahajpal said. “We’re working to keep the patients at the center and creating avenues for the clinicians to work together as a cohesive team. This includes keeping the patient and their family members informed and involved in the treatment process.”
Amro had surgery in August, where Dr. Sahajpal removed 40% of his liver as well as his gallbladder. In the fall, Amro recently received good news that he no longer has liver cancer and has been slowly reacquainting himself with his daily activities and taking walks through his neighborhood. He will continue to follow up with his care team for his liver disease and cancer surveillance.
“It felt great to hear the news,” Amro said. “I thank God that everything is fine, and I thank the entire medical team who took care of me.”
“Make sure you talk to your doctor about getting screened if you have a history of the disease or abnormal liver tests,” Dr. Sahajpal said. “I think the big thing is being attuned to your body. If you don’t feel right, get checked out, and if you have cancer or think you do, find that expert team that will take care of you and your family.”
