OK - and I'm sorry for the original poster, as this will be fairly blunt, but isn't aimed at his post.
The prognosis from liver cancer isn't great, especially if it's a secondary cancer. The symptoms of liver cancer often do not show until the cancer is at a late stage, so treatments like hemi-hepatectomy or segmental resection which have great success if the tumour is caught eraly enough are pointless.
A lot of doctors feel ***** that they can't cure someone, as if it's a failing on their part. Some think that if they try their all may be they can do something. They're human - how would you feel about telling someone they're going to die, or do not have long left? Just because someone is a medic, doesn't make them immune to the effects of death and disease. Modern medical education tends to consider this, but many older peeps 'slipped through the net'...
Most people go into medicine to save lives, and IMHO not enough time is spent by medicial students contemplating that medicine is more than this. At the med school I attend we have compulsary 'breaking bad news' courses and modules, however from talking to other peeps at other schools not everyone gets this provision.
Bad news, terminal illness and death is a real melting pot. I read an artical a few months back on how a doctor was being sued for being 100% honest with the family of a terminally ill woman, saying that the doctor had no 'people skills' and had caused them great upset at a time where they should have been spending time with their mum.
His prognosis etc. was spot on, but it just goes to show how difficult it is getting the balance between hope and dispair right, and trying to work out how much information a person is capable of taking on in what can be a very dark and upsetting time. I'm not saying that that is an excuse, but it's not a black and white subject - everyone has their own individual colour of grey, and the doctors job is to try to come up with the exact shade...