Elena Baltacha Diagnosed With Liver Cancer

Don't really post here anymore but... fu*k! I thought I had a sh*t day. My deepest hopes for a good recovery, 30 year olds should NOT be suffering conditions like that..

This is very tragic, Falzy. Yesterday (was it day before) was watching Kleybanova play Duvall and it was wonderful to see her recovery from Hodgkin's Lymphoma.

http://straightsets.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/02/18/kleybanova-plots-return-after-two-year-cancer-fight/?_php=true&_type=blogs&_r=0

The Elena bit is here - http://www.bbc.com/sport/0/tennis/26488401

At the age of 19, Baltacha was diagnosed with primary sclerosing cholangitis, a chronic liver condition which compromises the immune system.

Very glad to see that Elena wants to coach. Fight Elena!

Very sad and worrying news this. I am sure Elena will fight to beat this and I wish her all the very best.

This is terrible

She will need a liver transplant and I can only hope she gets one. Good luck Elena

That is, I assume it's a cholangiocarcinoma as that's what is associated with PSC. Not a good cancer to get at all

ChequeredJersey wrote:That is, I assume it's a cholangiocarcinoma as that's what is associated with PSC. Not a good cancer to get at all

Known risk factors for cholangiocarcinoma include primary sclerosing cholangitis (an inflammatory disease of the bile ducts), congenital liver malformations, infection with the parasitic liver flukes Opisthorchis viverrini or Clonorchis sinensis, and exposure to Thorotrast (thorium dioxide), a chemical formerly used in medical imaging. However, most patients with cholangiocarcinoma have no identifiable specific risk factors.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cholangiocarcinoma

See also - http://www.cholangiocarcinoma.org/definition.htm

At the age of 19, Baltacha was diagnosed with primary sclerosing cholangitis, a chronic liver condition which compromises the immune system.

She had the risk factor.

I hope she can find a suitable donor, if it comes to a transplant.

It's a really horrible cancer but she's young and hopefully they've caught it early enough...

If caught early with chemo and drugs, it can be controlled.

The five-year relative survival rate (the percentage of patients who survive at least five years after the cancer is detected, excluding those who die from other diseases) for people diagnosed with early-stage cholangiocarcinoma is about 30%. However, only about 20% of cholangiocarcinoma is found at an early stage. The five-year relative survival rate decreases if cancer has spread at the time of diagnosis.

Not a very good prognosis.

to Elena.

This is awful news. Fingers crossed that everything that can go her way does so over the months and years to come.

There's been talk of Queens hosting an event similar to the one held for Ross Hutchins last year; different type of cancer, but it'd be a good gesture and would raise awareness/provide support. I hope it goes ahead.

That is unlucky as primary liver cancer is unbelievably uncommon in the Western world. Therefore, I sincerely hope it is not secondary. All the best to Elena, terrible news.

It's far far more common with the condition she already has though, 15% of people with PSC get a bile-duct cancer