Breast Cancer Metastasis

Question: Most likely site for metastasis of breast cancer? I am a 13 year survivor and wonder all the time just where it may return. I had a bilateral mastectomy as well as chemo and radiation. I don't worry every day, but find myself wondering from time to time. Especially when I am awake late at night like this. :o)

Answer: I am currently fighting Metastic Breast Cancer to the liver. The bones, lungs and liver are the major places it can travel. However also the brain, and the kidneys. Really it can Metastiasis to any place. There is a wonderful book called Choices: The most complete sourcebook for cancer information. It's 19.00 and it tells everything about breast cancer. also check out the website http://www.plwc.org click on cancers then breast cancer Congrats. on 13 years. I hope I can say that someday. Best of luck to you and you are in my thoughts! :) Take Care

Question: Breast Cancer and Metastasis to Brain? I have some questions. My mother had breast cancer 10 years ago and the treatment she followed was surgery (only a slice of her breast), it was followed by radiotherapy and ended with chemiotherapy. Six months ago another tumor was found on her breast and the treatment followed was surgery (whole left breast removal) and chemiotherapy. Two days ago she had strong headache and after a scann of her head, a metastasis was found. She cannot move her right arm and leg. My father somehow hides information to me. My mother is 66 years old. I don't know where in the head is located. I have few cold questions. - I heard the size of the tumor is about 4 centimeters. I am not sure if that is the blood that exploded of the tumor or the tumor itself. If that is the tumor, is that considered big? - I heard surgery is not an option, so she will go for radiology. Is brain metastais painfull to her? Is she going to recover movement on her arm and leg? - What is life expectancy in months or years after radiology? Any advice would be appreciated. Thank you Mauricio Can doctors may not seen the tumor in the brain after the last chemotherapy? If is a primary, can it grow that fast? I mean, the hair is just growing back.. slower than the tumor then. What is easier to fight, a metastasis from breast to brain, or a primary in brain?

Answer: 4 centimeters is considered large. Brain mets are not typically painful. There is a good chance she will regain movement in her arm and leg once the tumor has shrunk, as it is often the pressure, due to limited space in the skull that causes the symptoms. Your last question is the hardest to answer partially because there isn’t enough information, but primarily because I don’t think it is metastatic disease. All cancer patients have metastatic workup before chemo is started. If she had brain mets they would have been found then. The only way they could have been missed is if they were too small. During the months that followed your mom was undergoing chemo, so obviously metastatic disease or not, this tiny little tumor grew very fast and quite large. This behavior coupled with the fact is was not all affected by chemo for breast cancer indicates it is not metastatic from the breast. I suspect it is a brain primary. I know this is probably not what you expected to hear and probably causes more questions for you than I was able to answer. I think if you want accurate information and answers you are going to have to speak directly to your mother’s oncologist. Best wishes.

Question: How would angiogenesis and invasion influence tumor growth and metastasis in a patient with breast cancer?

Answer: Angiogenesis: new blood vessel growth, which is imperative for growing cancers as the vessels bring in needed supplies to sustain the cells Invasion: a defining ability of malignancies, allowing the cells to disregard normal cellular barriers and disrupt nearby tissues Cancer cells are able to produce local cell signals which "call" for new blood vessel growth, obviously advantageous to these cellsas growth can be sustained longer as new "food" keeps coming in in greater and greater quantities. Think of it as building 8 lane highways instead of a dirt road- more traffic is possible. This question is a bit broad, so not sure if I am answering your question to your satisfaction. In any case, there are whole textbooks written about this topic. God bless, best wishes

Question: My aunt has stage IV breast cancer with metastases? to her lungs, lymph nodes, bones and now (since today) spine. The doctors aren't going to do any sort of chemo on her because they say the cancer is just too advanced. My mother won't come to terms with the fact that her sister is dying and is grasping at all sorts of hollistic medicines to heal her even though she is so very ill. My question is ... is this a stage of grief for the family to go through denile and search for alternative healing and someone please be honest with me ... regarding time are we talking weeks, months or what? My aunt doesn't want any help. She want's to be left alone but my mom, her sister, absolutely isn't ready to give up and let her go.

Answer: Well, I would say it is very normal to look for more options or solutions at this point. And since there is no real cure for cancer people don't give up their hopes that something might heal a loved one. What does your aunt say to this? I hope she will be ok and can be helped.

Question: Stage II breast cancer metastasized to pelvis - prognosis? Hi. My mum, 59 years old with an excellent health history hitherto, has been diagnosed with stage 2 breast cancer that has metastasized to her pelvis. Apparently it's two spots on the pelvis no bigger than pinheads. What I'm basically looking for is a likely prognosis. Through my dad I've been told this is something that is treatable but not curable, that she'll have to have hormone therapy for it for the rest of her life. He also says it's something she's likely to die with rather than from. Is this likely to be the case does anyone know? Is he levelling with me or trying to put on a brave face. Also something I can't seem to get any clarity on is the likelihood of further metastasis. Is it probably it will spread even with chemo, radio and hormone therapy? Thanks to everyone who takes the time, esp people who have fought or are fighting a cancer battle!

Answer: Go to cancer.org You have her diagnoses, Stage II breast cancer and can find all the facts there. Every ones situation is different and the best place to start is with the facts. Good luck!

Question: Is cancer really curable? I had breast cancer last year when i was 26 and now i am cancer free. Although i am cancer free now i feel that it does not mean anything. I feel that i am going to die from it in the next few years. It seems to me as though no one survives this disease. And unfornately i had the worst kind of cancer called Triple Negative. This type of cancer is very difficult to treat. Chemo is the only thing that will cure it, but it seems to me as though chemo does not work. If it does then how come so many people have recurrences? It is EXTREMELY difficult for me to go through this with a positive attitude when i see everyone who gets cancer have a recurrence and most of them end up dieing from it. My chemotherapy oncologist have already informed me that if the cancer returns again that i am going to die. Since she has said this i do not feel any need to go to any of my follow-up appointments now. It is just useless to go. People with triple negative breast cancer have a higher rate of developing metastasis cancer later and dieing from it. I feel that there is no hope for me. i feel that i might as well be realistic and just prepare myself to die in the very near future. I hate that it has come to this. I am only 27 years old and now i am going to die. I hate that there is nothing i can do about this. The main reason my doctor is saying that if the cancer returns again it will be incurable because triple negative cancer is so aggressive that when it does return, next time it will likely come back in my brain, lungs, bones, or liver.

Answer: I am so sorry you feel this way, I truly believe that fighting cancer has a lot to do with attitude, faith, and trust. I am very familiar with "Triple Negative Cancer" because it is what my wife is fighting now. And her oncologist (which is rated one of the best in the Pacific Northwest) believes that this kind of cancer is very cure-able. Quite the opposite of your oncologist, that I cannot believe told you that you would die if it returns. In fact our Oncologist Dr. Vinn of the Swedish Medical Center in Seattle told us that with the treatment prescribed her chance of the cancer returning is less than 3%. My wife was diagnosed with Stage 2B Triple Negative. The treatment was 15 weeks of Adriamycin and Cytoxin. Then because there were no clear margins she had a mastectomy. Now we are on week 10 of 12 weeks of Taxol. Then we will rest a week and a half and begin Radiation treatments for 6.5 weeks. After her mastectomy they found from the lab that the cancer found in her breast was the size of a small grain of rice reduced from the size of a fifty-cent piece. Before treatment she had 3 lymph nodes with cancer after her first treatment of chemotherapy there was found only one lymph node that showed cancer and it was the size of a large grain of rice. It had not ruptured and showed no sign of entering the blood stream. Right now, I asked my wife how she felt about her cancer after she had the mastectomy done and she replied that she felt she was cured. She see's herself now as being cancer free. And with her oncologist saying that it has less than a 3% chance of reoccurance she feels great about the treatment. I believe as already know that fighting cancer is hell, it takes a lot out of you physically and emotionally. The attitude you have as you fight cancer is very important to your outlook. Staying positive about the disease will improve the probability of you surviving it. In life we make our own reality, what we believe happens will happen. Change that record that is playing in your mind because your body will hear the message and it will become reality. Don't let your future be held hostage by what an oncologist says, I could hardly believe that she uttered those words. Here is a true story of what happened to my grandfather. He was fighting skin cancer. He had gone through 12 weeks of chemotherapy. His doctor on the day of his last treatment told him that he could not believe how well a 94 year old man is doing so well with chemotherapy. He said so many of his patients would be very sick by now. That night he went home, got sick and died. That is how powerful a the words of a doctor could be. Don't give that power to anybody. Doctor or not, it is your life, you have been a year free of cancer, and you will live to see your grandchildren's graduation from college. What you believe will happen will happen, so believe only the positive and have faith that God has healed you. Don't play what your doctor said ever again in your mind. Enough already!

Question: My mom was just diagnosed with breast cancer, stage III, but... the doctor said her tumor was not metastatic, and defined the size as 7x5 centimeters. What troubles me a little bit is that he had my mom's mammogram, biopsy, ultrasound and blood test, BUT NO CHEST X-RAY, which I believe is the most important item to diagnose metastasis. Is this OK? Can you classify a tumor as non-metastatic without a chest x-ray?

Answer: No way - chest x-ray is not the most important - I would actually rate it as least important. In my opinion - Biopsy and Pathology tests are the most important. What treatment is in plan? Is the tumor HER2 postive or negative? How old is your mom and any gene testing done?

Question: Does anyone have any information on Escozul a very promising cure for cancer in Cuba? My mom has been diagonised with breast cancer and has metastasis, she is currently under treatment with chemotherapy but I have been reading of this promising cure for cancer that is generated in Cuba from blue scorpions. I want to know is this only offered in Cuba like it says in the website and there is apperantly three labs that offer that one is called Labiofam in Havana, Cuba and the other two are in Guantamo and Matanzas..which is the one that offers the original one? Also can you obtain this product anywhere else? Do you have to go pick it up to the lab in Cuba or can it be mailed to you? I have been emailing with a person who says is a doctor working in Labiofam in Havana and I just want to know this is not a scam or if its just best to travel to Cuba personally to obtain this? If anyone has any information regarding this please let me know or if you have had experience anything with any of the labs please let me know since we are very interested in this product but I dont want to take part of some sort of scam.

Answer: It is good to explore and try to find the facts.

Question: Anyone had a child after suffering from breast cancer? I've been diagnosed with breastcancer 6 years ago, and had a metastasis last year. Now, after treatment, there is no evidence of disease but obviously there's a big chance of recidives and possibly I will not have a very long life. This morning I found out I'm pregnant. My partner is thrilled with happiness but I'm worried. Anyone out there who's been through a simmular situation and I could share my worries with?

Answer: Im 17 my mum had breast cancer. Her gran also had it(my great gran) my mum was worried about it been connected and had concerns about me and my sister who is 20. to be honest i was slightly worried also but didn't want to ask. However my mum spoke to her doctor at one of her checkups and he assured her that as we were both at a young age it is very unlikely and its also very unlikely that my mums case was connected with my Granny's. I know im only young but i totally understand your concerns. Pleased to hear your treatment was a success also congrats on your baby. Hope that helped.

Question: Till death do us part? I have inoperable breast cancer metastasis and I am literally fighting 4 my life I' ve been married to my spouse for 22 years and he is treating me horrible and telling me he wish I would die and how many woman he got to replace me. I have raised my family with great faith and love. SO why is this man who, I stood by Thu all his idiocies treating me with such meanest. his email is carlosbro@gmail.com

Answer: Oh my God ! I feel so bad for you. My hubby had cancer and I helped him through it. Let him know that his actions are bad and tell him how you feel. I know that you cannot just pick up and leave at this time. You will be in my thoughts and prayers. Take care.

Question: Anyone interested in a Cancer Cure that WORKS? I see some people had asked some months back about "Budwig Protocol", and all answers have been in the negative, including derogatory comments about this doctor being a hoax! Budwig Protocol is a method that WORKS to cure cancer in almost all stages, including terminal-end-4th-stage cases. In defense of this claim, I would like to present some NIH backed research data (you can download the papers at these links). My intention is to spread awareness of this method as much as possible. If you do not agree with this post, please go ahead and refute the research done by world's most premier research organization (at your own risk). Otherwise please spread the word, a lot of people will thank you for having saved their or their loved one's lives! 1. "Dietary Flaxseed Alters Tumor Biological Markers in Postmenopausal Breast Cancer": http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/queryd.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=15897583 2. "The inhibitory effect of flaxseed on the growth and metastasis of estrogen receptor negative human breast cancer xenografts is attributed to both its lignan and oil components": http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/queryd.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=15849746 3. Education, Protocol and Support group (find all information on Budwig here): http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/Flaxseedoil2 People like BEAU: Please try to be logical and refute NIH if you can instead of submitting puerile answers! Secondly, without any understanding of the protocol, you say people in middle east or Egypt still get cancer despite having cottage cheese. But you haven't done your research - the answer is in MIXING CC and Flax Oil making it water soluble; not one or the other ingredient. Deriders: Please do some BASIC and MINIMUM research and follow the links that I have painstakingly put for your behalf - do not post just to get your 2 points here! READ THE POWERFUL, CONCLUSIVE RESEARCH LINKS and then answer! Deal? Let me answer the two people who have posted rational responses. 1. lo_mcg: You post without reading the link that this is not a double blind placebo test. But if you had read a little, this is what you would find: "This study examined, in a randomized double-blind placebo-controlled clinical trial". Also, the intention of NIH is NOT to validate BP but to study the main ingredient of BP namely the flaxseed/flaxoil, which is proven very significantly in the result. The rest of your message doesn't contradict any research I provide (note, the support group is not a research link, it is an actual site for people following the protocol). 2. Panda: You say: "how do you know that you aren't ending up killing these people by having them delay treatment that has been scienfifically proven to work": Do you prefer chemo to kill you faster after making you a pauper so that drug companies make a bigger profit? After all chemo success rate for terminal cases are around 5%! More in another post. Panda also states: "I wish we had laws to hold people accountable for misinformation and delays that place another persons life in jeopardy". This would entail putting almost the entire chemo industry in jail. Please research chemo effectiveness and the misinformation carried by the drug industry before posting homilies. In any case, you have NOT refuted the findings, your only case seems to be that this is research dating to 2005. So what?!!! "I know you are convinced . .but you probably don't have metastatic cancer or if you do . . you don't mind experimenting on yourself . .but would you experiment on someone elses child." I am "experimenting" on my mother who has stage4 metastatic cancer, so there goes another conclusion. If I got cancer, I would reject chemo and do this myself. Knowledge is power and ignorance makes you believe in stuff that doctors themselves do NOT believe in. Panda also says: If this product or diet works than do the responsible thing and encourage more research, clinical trials, and find out exactly". This is exactly my intention - spread awareness so that more people demand this, spread the knowledge, put pressure on the Industry. I hope you didn't think I have the clout to make the drug industry to do clinical trials on my own!

Answer: The clinical results do look promising. I certainly hope that Flaxseed and the others substances at the very least help individuals fight their cancer. Along with traditional methods, such as chemotherapy and radiation it may make the difference in a positive outcome. Thanks.

Question: Can add my sick sister to my health insurance, help!? My oldest sister is 62, she lives overseas and not a US citizen, she have breast cancer with bone metastasis!, I need to bring here to US and take care of her, I have Pacific care PPO, same insurance for 4 years already, it's not individual insurance, it's my employer insurance if that make difference. My question is can add her as dependant to my insurance as there is no one can take care of her, and I'm her primary care taker

Answer: Usually it would be for your husband/wife and children. I am not aware if you can have siblings unless you are their guardian. Also most insurances will not cover most cancer's if they are pre-existent. In your sister's case it is a pre-existent condition. She would have had to have had the insurance before she had gotten the cancer. But in all cases your human resource worker at your job should know the answers to all your questions.

Question: Is there a chemotherapy treatment with no hair loss side effects.? To prevent metastasis to the breasts, after ovary removal due to cancer.

Answer: There are chemotherapy drugs that don't cause hair loss, and some that cause hair thinning but not hair loss, but patients will be prescribed a regime appropriate for their particular cancer. The chemo combination prescribed for you may or may not be one that causes hair loss, but that will not be the basis on which your doctors select it. I know it sounds hard to do, but try not to worry about hair loss. It isn't pleasant but it soon grows back I promise. Your health is more important. Some people have some success with the cold cap, but many find it too uncomfortable or painful, and some hair is usually lost.

Question: Are there cases of bone metastases which are not painful? A male patient has primary breast cancer which metastasized to the bones and I just want to know if indeed bone pain is an absolute part of the problem.

Answer: Probably not. Bones are covered by the periosteum which protects the bone but also allows blood flow etc. If it is stretched or is broken, the nerve endngs are very very good at sending out pain signals and this is considerably painful. Thats' why orthopedic surgeons say that the pain won't completely go away after being medcated after surgery.

Question: Off course some cancers are curable but there is no sure shot dialogue but it's a trial & error method to trea? Thank you, all of YOU. for valuable opinions/experiences, which were an eye-opener to me. I welcome one and all replies. By the grace of Lord, so far so good, after half century of life, that too in India, during post-military life encountered and experienced many troubles and turmoils. I've most of the times, experienced the fate by being, bed-side doing free-service to patients, throughout the period (without expecting) and revealing some hidden facts of un-fortunate souls. Every morning, the 'poor soul', expressed anguish/agony for a re-birth but in vain. After a laborious and painstaking efforts for treatment which proved futile before revealing some hidden facts for your reference please : a) Deadly metastasis has no end and live few months, b) Stage-III breast cancer some-how pulling on since 5 Yrs. c) Wrong diagnosis by oncologists caused death, d) Downtrodden medical ethics and commercial oncologists, e) Wrong selection of CT drugs, f) Over dosage of Cobalt RT using age-old machines, g) Poverty and high cost of treatment, h) Shortage of time spared by oncologists, i) Poor attention for post-operative cases etc., By taking into account of all above aspects / facts and being a non-medico a wrong picture was embedded in my mind. I praise the Lord first then all of you who lived healthier healthier and healthier with valuable replies. Many more wonderful sun shine years to one all. Bye.. Bye... Basu....

Answer: I won't presume to know much about other cancers or treatments other than my own. With me and my lung cancer, all treatments, even proven semi-successful ones are still a hit and miss. Some others with stage iv lung cancer went thru the same chemo I did, they are now N.E.D. (no evidence of disease) but in my case, it pretty much just held my cancer in check for nine months after the six rounds of treatment. I then had another six rounds of a different chemo, again, no change to the tumors but again, held my cancer stable. So no treatment is sure-fire, each of us are different and react differently to medication treatments. Surgery is always a plus, if they can remove the infected lobe of the lung, then recovery chances are greater. In my country, the oncologists would not mis-diagnose, at least its highly unlikely as a biopsy is performed before the onc even sees us. But many times we are misdiagnosed by our family doctors. Lung cancers are often confused with pneumonia, bronchitis, etc.. early warning signs of shoulder or back pain are treated with muscle relaxants.. its up to us to dig deep and keep after our doctors to find the cause and insist on further testing with scans. True many times wrong selections of CT drugs are used, but again.. what works on some, may not work on others. They pretty much know what chemo will be most effective on which cancers. Long strides have been made in cancer treatments, we still have a long way to go.. but we have many success stories of survivors now. Where I live, nine years ago we weren't even offered treatment for lung cancer. Now we are given the chance of life and often years are added for us. All we can do is try, stay as positive as possible and leave no stone unturned til the last pebble has been exposed., and then.. start over again.

Question: diganosed with spinal metastases. help!? my fiance has been complaining about back pain for a while and then a few weeks ago he collapsed on the floor and couldnt move. he was taken to a hospital and done many tests, he ended up staying there for a week. The doctor came and said he has spinal metastases. Malignant tumors. Their making him take kemo, and he's abosoulutly freightend. he cries every day, and wouldnt do anything. i understand what he is goign through because i had breast cancer when i was 18. Im trying to calm him and resure him that everything would be okay but all he talks about is dying and worse. when he started kemo his hair began to fall out. so he shaved it all off crying histarically. i really dont know what to do. he isolates himself, i try so hard to be with him but he pushes me away and locks me out the room. i want to be with him the whole time but it looks like he doesnt want me there. i dont know what i should do. i tried so many times talking to him or being around him adn he wont listen. help! what should i do?

Answer: he is very fortunate to have you because you know how frightening and confusing it can be to be given that kind of news. it seems though like this may be a case in which some professional help is needed. as you know you must have strength and a positive attitude to fight this battle and you will be a great help to him when he will let you. maybe this will pass and he will be willing to share his pain and permit your assistance and support. you may have to enlist family members or talk to his doctor about this to get him some psychological care. may God be with you and him in your struggle.