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When to seek a 3rd opinion?

Liver Cancer | Last Active: Dec 13, 2025 | Replies (14)

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The doctors are waiting for the labs to match the tumor. My labs for the past year have been AFP 1400-2400, and in July 2025 AFPL-3 (fractionated AFP) of 59.9 (top of range 9.9). My lesion is stable at 9 mm for the past year. The MRI L-Rads is L-3, 50/50 chance of benign/cancer. I forgot to mention on my earlier post that I had Hep C for around 50 years, was treated with Harvoni 10 years ago, and have had continuous scans and labs for the past 35 years since the Hep C was diagnosed. But no confirmation that I have cancer. My doctors were going to treat me based on the labs and history, they think I have cancer. After so many scans and countless labs and a year of stress and worry, I'm looking for answers, what is going on in my body? My doctor can't find any other case like mine. I have no real symptoms besides being slightly more fatigued than usual, all of my labs are normal, LFTs normal, everything. You post an excellent question "what would I hope to get from another opinion"? I'm hoping for more a definitive answer besides waiting for my tumor to get bigger. Thank you for reaching out.

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Replies to "The doctors are waiting for the labs to match the tumor. My labs for the past..."

@ginkle999 What are nuke scans? I never heard of those terms before. I was unaware that AFP was a way to diagnose hepatocellular carcinoma or any other cancers? It can detect HCC, but it is usually used to determine if cancer treatment is working? What kind of doctor is ordering the tests, evaluating them, and determining your treatment? I understand your concern.