Bone Cancer Prognosis

Question: What is the prognosis for adenocarcinoma with bone cancer? I hope someone can help. Recently a close friend of mine who had beaten breast cancer(she had been cancer free for 5 years) was diagnosed with cancer of the outer lung and bone cancer. The doctors are telling her that they will be doing chemotherapy once a month only. There is another treatment (hormonal) that they want to try, but they're worried because she has not finished menopause. Can anyone tell me what the prognosis is when you have both of these cancers?

Answer: I dont want to alarm you. But my mother had breast cancer and it spread into her bones after being told 4 years earlier that she was cancer free. After her dignosis in May of 2003, sadly it took intill Dec of 2004 to kill her. She was only 49. They tried everything from chemo to radiation. They even had her on a hormone pill but the cancer had just spread so much. I am really sorry about your friend my heart goes out to her. I would find out what stage she is in. My mother was in stage four so there was really not much they could do. Through the treatments they provided it did prolong her life for a year and half after given a timeline of 6 months. And again I am truly sorry about your friend.

Question: does anyone have any ideas what the prognosis is for bone cancer? My dad has lung cancer which has spread to his bones but he is not really telling us what the doctors have told him about his prognosis other than that all they all can do is try to keep him comfortable. I need to know so I can then make plans to be near him as we live hundreds of miles apart.

Answer: Hi, sorry to hear about your dad. My father passed away several years ago with something similar. All I can give you as advice is make your plans to go and see him sooner rather than later. All the best

Question: Secondary bone cancer prognosis? My mom is 55 and had breast cancer 17yrs ago. She has just been diagnosed with secondary bone cancer- it is something "positive" (ER or PR??) Her treatment will be a pill everyday a monthly IV and possibly radiation for pain management. It is "extremely widespread"- her skull, all down her spine and tailbone, ribs, arms, legs- basically everywhere but hands and feet. 6 yrs ago my dad died of pancreatic cancer- he was diagnosed in Jan and died May 5th. We knew nothing about pancreatic cancer and were completely taken off guard. I'm afraid the same is going to happen with my mom. Her onc told her only that "50% of people with secondary bone cancer don't live longer than 4 years" I don't know what to make of that- 4 years from when? diagnosis or when the cancer began to spread? Her's is so wide spread what does that mean for her prognosis? She has lost about 40 pounds and looks like a skeleton- she's still working. I want her to quit but is that premature or should I encourage her to stop working and enjoy life while she still can? Anyone have any knowledgeable information to give me? I realize no one knows for sure but certainly there is a basic idea out there about her prognosis. Please- give it to me straight don't try to be a politican about it. I wish someone would have looked me in the eye and told me it was time to say goodbye to my dad I don't want the same thing to happen again but I also don't want to over react. Thanks They are NOT giving her chemo- no I don't know why.

Answer: I know this a distressing time for you, but your mother’s doctor is doing exactly what the best treatment is for someone in her situation. The ER/PR thing stands for estrogen receptor and progesterone receptor we have found these hormones can stimulate proliferation of cells in the breast and can lead to breast cancer. We now check all breast cancers to see if the tumor reacts to these hormones and apparently your mother’s does. The pill your mother was given is prevent the cancer from getting the hormone(s) they love so much making them less able to thrive and multiply. This treatment is much more targeted to doing this than chemo is and without the nasty side affects. Chemo is reserved for patients with life threatening mets. As painful as bone mets are they are not life threatening. The monthly IV is a drug designed to reduce pain and fractures due to bone mets therefore reducing the need for radiation. Radiation really is not an option for treating bone mets as widespread as your mothers, but may be used in the most painful areas later on if needed. If you would like to look these drugs up they are Aredia and Zometa. Regarding the 4-year thing. This would be from the time the bone mets were discovered and she became a stage 4 breast cancer. At this point her doctor is doing what he can to buy her some more time and is hoping to make that time as pain free as possible. From what I know and he knows far better than I, his estimate is pretty accurate, but may change for the better depending on how well she responds to therapy. My personal opinion about her continuing to work is I think you should take your cues from your mom. Everyone has their own way of dealing with this situation and it would be normal for her to go through several stages. She will likely start feeling much better before she feels bad again so let her live a “normal� life while everything sinks in. Just let her know you love her and you want her to do whatever it is that makes her happy. Best wishes to you both.

Question: bone cancer prognosis and remission? my uncle has bone cancer. He is about 70 years old. the cancer is Chondrosarcoma. He was on chemo and was initially doing well but I heard that lately he wasnt doing so well. Is the end near? what is the likelihood he will beat this. please be honest. sorry, guys. that's all i know. i knew he was in good health. he is older and was very active and strong for his age. my parents said initially he was doing well. we thought hed beat it. then they started saying he was sick. they wont give me more info because they still try to protect me (even though im 25 y/o)

Answer: hi, in many cases bone cancer is terminal if it spreads beyond the original primary tumour site. he may still beat this. cancer has a tendency to go from good to bad to good etc. but fingers crossed he will get better

Question: What is the prognosis for secondary bone cancer in an otherwise healthy woman? The primary cancer was breast cancer; 8 years ago. It was an aggressive cancer. Now there are "suspicious" spots (small) on L-3 and L-4 disc and on one rib.

Answer: Cancer prognosis is always best for non-metastatic primary site, and prognosis depends on type, stage and general health. Secondary site cancers reduce overall prognosis but is certainly not an immediate "death sentence". Treatment options should be discussed with oncologist and second opinions are generally warranted as well as some independent treatment research. Some cancers have a higher incident of metastasis to bone and it is not uncommon for the first symptom of bone involvement to be a spontaneous fraction without predisposing injury. More helpful would be to determine what the primary cancer type is.

Question: whats prognosis secondary cancer bones lungs and liver?

Answer: It depends on the type of the primary malignancy. For instance small cell lung cancers grow more rapidly than non-small cell lung cancers. Melanomas, breast cancers, renal cancers, and many others have variable prognoses when metastatic to multiple site such as lungs, bones, and liver. With liver mets you are often looking at less than six months - BUT - predictions are averages with a large variation from person to person and varying with many other factors: type of malignancy, whether the person has a cancer that is responsive to systemic treatment such as chemotherapy or hormonal therapy, the general health and age of the person, the tumor burden - meaning how large the metastatic lesions are in the vital organs (lungs & liver), plus other co-morbid conditions, etc. Doctors can never predict one person's survival time months in advance with perfect accuracy. People often say things like "My doctor gave me X number of months, and I'm still here." Doctors do not "give" the amount of time. When we are pushed to make guesses, they are averages. If a doctor says six months, it may be three months or a year. There is no way to predict the future. Unexpected things come up such as infections (pneumonia especially), bleeding episodes, blood clots, strokes, and others.

Question: What is the prognosis for spinal cancer that has metastisized to the bones? Furthermore, her oncologist is still running tests but believes she has carcinoma.

Answer: Without knowing what kind of cancer it is your question is impossible to answer. This is why her doctor is running tests.

Question: breast cancer metastised to bones ,the prognosis?

Answer: When it comes to breast cancer a lot of variables are involved and you are not giving any of them so it is difficult to say. Generally they survive 2-4 years, but depending on the unknown variables it could be more or less. It is best for this to be discussed with the person’s oncologist if you want accurate information.

Question: question about bone cancer? John has chondrosarcoma of the tibia, and Marvin has chondrosarcoma of the pelvis. Why would John’s prognosis be better than Marvin’s?

Answer: Sounds like homework. I doubt if anyone who has chondrosarcoma feels up to doing your homework for you.

Question: How long can a horse with bone cancer- Osteosarcoma- live comfortably? My 11 year old OTTB has been semi-diagnosed with Osteosarcoma (huge facial deformity was our clue). We'd been at a loss for an explanation, and here it is. He hasn't had an x-ray and has been so tempermental, trailering right now is out, but the vet examined him this morning and the prognosis is not good. My question is: how long do or can horses live with this comfortably? I've read the articles online, but they tend to gloss over this fact. Anyone out there had this or know of another who has? Thanks in advance! Sadie, sadly, it isn't an abcess. He developped a large knot on his face and one vet thought it was a sarcoid. We went through the treatments, but nothing worked. The 2nd vet examined him this morning and said it is most likely Osteosarcoma. We cannot be 100% sure without an x-ray, which would require a long trip in the trailer. My boy DETESTS trailers and everything about them this year (he was okay with them until around July or so). The lump came up at the end of July and grows, then stops, grows some more, and stops again. Gallop, thanks for posting the link. I came across that article this morning. His tumor is on the top of his face, just a few inches below his right eye, crosses the bridge of his nose, and now comes under the eye (about 4-5 inches below each). He's had trouble keeping weight and started getting quite tempermental around August. Thanks for the reply!

Answer: Where I used to ride/board there was a little pony there who had thyroid and bone cancer. The vet gave her two years to live comfortably before it would be best to put her down. That was 5 years ago and she is still going strong, not showing one ounce of pain! I think it all depends on the horse and what it's pain tolerance is! If your vet hasnt fully come out and said it is bone cancer, I would be keeping all possible fingers crossed that it is just an abcess and that in a few days the boil will come up and then your horse will be okay! If the vet does come right out and say that it is bone cancer, ask him how long he thinks your horse will live. And if he says that it is bad and going to move rapidly, then the best bet is listening to the vet if he says it would be best to put him down. I hope for your sake that it isnt bone cancer and it is just something like an abcess!

Question: Does anyone have any info on Metastatic breast cancer that has spread to the bone marrow? Any info on treatment, prognosis etc. My mum was diagnosed with breast cancer 8 months ago, which had spread to the bones. She has had to stop chemo as she has a low platelet count. A bone marrow biopsy has revealed the cancer has spread to the bone marrow. She was told today that she can't have chemo anymore because of her platelet count and is now taking a hormone treatment pill. She was told that if the hormone therapy doesn't work there is no other option. I have been googling it but am finding it difficult to find any specific info and my head is a bit messed up trying to take in the news. Was hoping that there may be someone who has experienced this or knows someone who has that could maybe offer some info. Kind regards

Answer: This answer assumes that your mum's low platelet count is related to the bone marrow replacement by breast cancer and not simply due to recent chemotherapy treatments. It is difficult to answer precisely with limited knowledge of the complete medical situation. Here's what I might do in this situation if hormonal therapy fails to halt further progression - - and I was a doctor specializing in cancer (a medical oncologist) until I retired. Try a chemotherapy regimen that is not especially hard on the bone marrow. It's an old treatment regimen now, but I had luck with a drug called 5FU with leucovorin in some cases of metastatic breast cancer which had not responded to more toxic, high powered regimens. (Partial response rate in the 15-20% range, so not a panacea for all patients by any means.) If you can eliminate some of the cancer from the bone marrow, the platelet count will actually come up with effective tumor reduction. There are many (dozens) different regimens of chemotherapy that have been used for metastatic breast cancer over the past 33 years which is when I first started seeing patients with advanced cancers. Not all of these cause serious effects on the production of blood cells such as platelets. It takes some imagination at times to come up with a regimen that may help and is least likely to do further harm. BUT - the key concept here is not to "cure." Quality time is the realistic goal here. Note that bone metastases and bone "marrow" metastases are quite different. Many women have breast cancer spread to the bone, but only a minority have significant replacement of the bone marrow itself. This is complicated and hard for non-medical people to understand. As Teresa knows (since she is both a chemotherapy and a radiation therapy specialty nurse), you cannot give radiation therapy to the entire bone marrow. It is too toxic to blood cell production including platelets. Radiation for "spots" of bone involvement is OK, but bone marrow involvement is diffuse - - all through the bones which contain blood cell producing marrow. ' Kinda wish Herbert would not use the word cure here. His aunt must have focal or localized bone lesions which can be spot treated with localized radiation. Herbert's aunt's breast cancer has already "spread" just as your mum's disease has spread. The doctors are trying to keep the disease from growing in places where it has already spread. These misconceptions are very common. The word is control and the goal to buy quality time. If you think about it, that is all medicine, doctors, and nurses can ever hope to do - - buy quality time - since no one is immortal. We cannot "cure" diabetes or high blood pressure. We control them with treatment. Do not expect a cure for metastatic breast cancer. That is a false delusion based on our commonly held human denial of our mortality and the limitations of so-called "modern" medicine. That's the major hurdle for you to get over - accepting that there are diseases such as this which can't be completely "cured." It is a very difficult realization. People usually go though stages of denial, bargaining, and anger before they get to acceptance. Some people never get past anger. This is where religious beliefs can be very, very comforting. Sounds like you may be from Great Britain since you use the term "mum" for your mother. I hope the health care system allows the oncologists to try different treatment options which may not be "standard." Every person is special and different. Sometimes we get "lucky" and find a treatment that may work for additional months. It's best not to hope for many years in this situation, but only God really knows. No doctor can predict the future with 100% certainty. We wish you and your mum the best in this most trying and emotional time.

Question: Psychiatrist daughter needs web source for jokes to send daily to friend dying of cancer. Any suggestions? The girls were at university together. Great mates though now living in different States (with fine husbands and delightful teenage kids). Both serious horsewomen with insight into human frailty and ineptitude - and no hangups. Friend, late-40's, outgoing, gregarious and caring, undergoing total bone marrow replacement in isolated hospital room for a month. Prognosis bad. As doctors etc both girls have seen too much of it. Can we source some giggles?

Answer: oh man i pray for her. http://www.coolfunnyjokes.com/ didn't put much thought into it but im sure your daughter can find something there for her friend

Question: what is the prognosis of a 81yera old woman with? metastasis (breast) bone cancer, bone marrow cancer, and cancer of the spleen

Answer: The prognosis for anyone at 81 is probably not so good. She's had a good run. That's all any of us can hope for. There may be a lot of pain in the end so make the best of this time. Spend all the time you can with her and understand that death is as much a part of life as sleeping. The tears you have are for yourself. Save them until after she's gone. For now, just enjoy someone who's been a wonderful part of your life. Find gratitude inside yourself that you've had her so long and for each day you have together--the gratitude will keep you strong and smiling, just as she'd want you to be.

Question: My dad has kidney cancer that has spread into his lymph nodes and bones. How long will he live? He was just diagnosed in July 2007 and has completed 5 weeks of radiation and is taking interferon. My parents have not asked his oncologist for a prognosis.

Answer: The onc will not give a prognosis unless asked for it. So I don't believe that your parents are keeping information from you. My mom was diagnosed with Kidney cancer in March of 2007. She has mets to the brain, lung, nodes and possibly her liver. Now we are facing possible bone mets. From all the info that I have been given and researched myself, once kidney cancer has spread, they are given a diagnosis of stage 4. Kidney cancer is a highly aggressive cancer and is difficult to treat. There are only a handful of drugs that have shown some promise in treatment. Interferon is one that I do not about. My mom was on Sutent and showed great promise. Tumors were dying and shrinking all over the place. Unfortunately she was not able to tolerate the drug because it is so strong. My mom was given a time line of a year from the beginning. Keep in mind that the cancer had already spread to the brain and lungs before any symptoms presented themselves. I hope this helps. Your family will be in my thoughts, let me know if there is anything else I can help you with.

Question: How can I make it better? My fiancee was recently diagnosed with an agressive form of bone cancer and I just don't know what to do or say to make him feel better when the prognosis is as bad as it is.I'm doing the very best I can to stay strong for him but I'm absolutely terrified.He's only 27 and I can't lose him.I've talked to his doctor about his upcoming treatment but was still to much in shock to absorb much.What can I expect the next few months to be like?What can I do to make this easier on him?

Answer: There is nothing that you can do, except to be strong. Now is the time to find your courage because he will need to see it. I understand your shock and terror completely, but these feelings will not sustain the battle that is to come. He needs to be in fighting mode, determined to go after this cancer, positive that no matter what happens he will have the support and love of family and friends. From this day forth, be positive in front of him . . honest, of course, but positive. Also, do research, read, and talk to as many people as possible about his disease. The more informed and educated you become the more realistic you will be towards his cancer. Even worse case scenarios can turn around. Just look at Lance Armstrong . . stage IV testicular cancer with mets to the brain. That was ten years ago. check out his website for inspiration: http://www.livestrong.org/ Hang in there. Be strong. You will find your courage.

Question: What is the life expectancy of a person with osteosarcoma of the pelvis? My doctor told me the prognosis for secondary cancer of osteosarcoma of the pelvic bones is poor. I was wondering if anyone knew of people with type of secondary not primary cancer who had gotten into remission or had lived for quite a long time.

Answer: sarcomas are fast spreading.secondaries are very fast unless luck favors.other skin _cervicalcancer _even breast cancer early stage survive for longer time than others. secondary means it has spread so less chance forgive me for telling truth which will discourage you i pray for you. may god be with you as support