High Blood Calcium Levels
When cancer spreads to the bones, too much calcium from the bones can be released into the bloodstream. This is called hypercalcemia.
High blood calcium levels can cause problems such as
- Constipation
- Feeling thirsty all the time and drinking lots of liquids
- Muscle weakness
- Coma
- Kidney failure.
Treatment includes giving large amounts of intravenous fluids to protect the affected kidneys and medicines such as bisphosphonate drugs to bring blood calcium levels down quickly. Once the calcium level is back to normal, treating the cancer can help keep the calcium level from getting too high again.
Positron Emission Tomography Scan
This is another nuclear scanning technique sometimes used to detect metastases by creating a 3-dimensional picture of your body, with the use of radio waves that show up after an injection. PET scans are not routinely used to look for bone metastases. If your doctor recommends that you have a PET scan you should speak to your doctor about possible costs as it is not usually covered by Medicare.
Why Mbc Is So Hard To Understand But Why It Matters
I think that part of it is that weve done such a great job of making people feel good about breast cancer because we do such a great job of celebrating, quote, survivors, says Kohl. Nobody dies from a tumor in your breast you die when breast cancer moves to other parts of the body.
Rahn, who has been living with MBC for nine years , believes that changing the pretty, pink, curable narrative is important because its not the only story.
That whole early diagnosis saves lives thing bothers me because mammograms are a tool to find cancer if its there, but its the pathology that determines what happens, she says. It had already gone to the bones when I was diagnosed. People keep pushing this, If youre diagnosed with breast cancer its the good kind, and if you go for five years youre cured narrative. People want to talk about the good things. They dont want to hear about the scary, negative things.
Still, Rahn believes, Knowledge is power positive thinking isnt going to keep it away.
Kohl was first diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer, which was treated with a lumpectomy, radiation and endocrine therapy.
But that hasn’t stopped her from speaking the truth.
For example, Kohl says, I went ahead and bought Bruce Springsteen tickets for 2023 and a trip to Italy.
Wellness, parenting, body image and more: Get to know the who behind the hoo with Yahoo Life’s newsletter. .
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Will I Need More Than One Treatment For Metastatic Breast Cancer
Medications are important for metastatic breast cancer to help control its spread. Resistance to therapies may develop, which can lead your care team to recommend a change in treatment.
When you start a treatment regimen, you and your care team will see how:
- The cancer responds to the therapy.
- The side effects impact you.
If the treatment isnt working or the side effects are unbearable, your care team can discuss switching the treatment method. They may recommend a different drug, dosage or schedule.
There are many treatments available. If one therapy isnt working for you for whatever reason, there is usually another one you can try.
Talking To Your Healthcare Provider
It is crucial that you talk to your oncologist and healthcare team about any and all symptoms you are experiencing. Some of these symptoms, such as pain, are under-treated in people with metastatic cancer. This is not because healthcare providers fail to treat the symptoms, but because they are simply unaware that a person is coping with them.
Breast Cancer Doctor Discussion Guide
Get our printable guide for your next healthcare provider’s appointment to help you ask the right questions.
With all of the talk about people with cancer being brave or strong, you might hesitate to share symptoms that could make you appear frightened or weak. Yet facing metastatic cancer is frightening, and being able to share your concerns is a sign of strength, not weakness. There is a lot that can be done to ease most of the symptoms of metastatic breast cancer, but the only way that your oncologist can know what you are feeling is if you are brave enough to speak up.
In addition, sharing your symptoms, even if they may seem of little consequence to you, may help your oncologist better recognize the extent of your disease, anticipate potential complications, and suggest the best possible treatments for your disease.
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What Are The Complications Associated With Metastatic Spinal Tumors
Some metastatic spinal tumors grow large enough to cause spinal cord compression . Spinal cord compression can cause numbness and weakness in your arms and legs. It can also impair body functions including bladder and bowel control. In severe cases, spinal cord compression can cause paralysis.
In some cases, a spinal tumor weakens the bone so much that it fractures . Other complications of metastatic spinal tumors may include difficulty with balance or walking, and a decreased ability to feel cold, heat and pain.
How Is Metastatic Breast Cancer In Bones Diagnosed
Your doctor will likely start with a discussion of your symptoms and a physical examination.
Diagnostic testing may include blood tests to find out if your blood has too much calcium or alkaline phosphatase , either of which can be elevated because of bone metastasis. But this can also be due to other conditions. Blood tests alone cant confirm metastatic breast cancer in bones or pinpoint the location.
Sometimes, an X-ray can reveal bone metastasis. But other times, your doctor may order one or more of the following imaging tests to look for signs that cancer has reached bone:
Breast cancer isnt a single disease, but a group of diseases. So, treatment is personalized to reflect your:
- specific type of breast cancer
- extent of metastasis
- age and overall health
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A Note From Cleveland Clinic:
Learning that cancer has spread to your spine is scary. But there are treatments to relieve pain and improve your quality of life. Regular follow-up after cancer treatment can help catch metastases early. Contact your healthcare provider if you develop symptoms of a metastatic spinal tumor.
Last reviewed by a Cleveland Clinic medical professional on 06/04/2021.
References
Treatment Options For Metastatic Breast Cancer
Treatment for metastatic breast cancer often is based on systemic therapies, which use drugs rather than surgery or radiation. Metastases treatments are designed to shrink tumors and slow their growth, help ease symptoms and improve quality of life. Treatment may change, such as when one therapy stops working, or the side effects become too uncomfortable. Rather than having only one treatment, most patients undergo several treatments combined to help fight the cancer.
The four broad categories of drug-based treatments are:
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Medications For More Severe Bone Pain
Tramadol or opioids, such as morphine or oxycodone, can be added if the ibuprofen, naproxen or acetaminophen alone dont relieve the pain.
All of these drugs can cause constipation, so you may need to change your diet or take medications to promote regular bowel movements. For example, your health care provider may recommend eating high-fiber foods, such as fruits and vegetables, and drinking plenty of liquids to manage constipation.
Other side effects of these drugs include sleepiness and nausea. These usually go away after about a week. If they dont, tell your health care provider. These side effects can be treated.
If youre prescribed opioid medications, your health care provider will carefully monitor the amount prescribed so you dont take too much. People may worry about taking opioid medications, fearing side effects or addiction. However, when used as prescribed, these drugs can offer a great deal of pain relief.
Learn more about opioids and other pain medications, their side effects and fear of addition.
What Causes Metastatic Spinal Tumors
Scientists havent discovered any risk factors or causes for why cancer metastasizes to the spine in some people and others it does not. However, they do understand how these types of tumors develop.
Metastatic tumors form when cancerous cells leave the original tumor site through the bloodstream or lymph vessels, taking them to other areas of the body. While many of these cells die after leaving the primary tumor, some settle and thrive in other areas of the body and form new tumors. If one new tumor is formed, its called a metastasis when two or more tumors develop, its referred to as metastases.
American Association of Neurological Surgeons. Spinal Tumors. http://www.aans.org/Patient%20Information/Conditions%20and%20Treatments/Spinal%20Tumors.aspx. Published July 2014. Accessed October 7, 2016.
American Cancer Society. Understanding Bone Metastasis. http://www.cancer.org/treatment/understandingyourdiagnosis/bonemetastasis/bone-metastasis-what-is-bone-mets. Last reviewed May 2, 2016. Updated May 2, 2016. Accessed October 7, 2016.
Cedars-Sinai. Spinal Metastatic Tumors. http://www.braintumortreatment.com/brain-tumors/tumor-types/spinal-metastatic-tumors.aspx. Accessed October 8, 2016.
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. About Spine Tumors. https://www.mskcc.org/cancer-care/types/spine-tumors/about-spine-tumors. Accessed October 8, 2016.
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What Questions Should I Ask My Doctor
If you have a metastatic spinal tumor, you may want to ask your doctor:
- Will I have different treatment for the metastatic spinal tumor than for the original tumor?
- Will cancer spread to other areas of my body?
- What symptoms of other metastases should I watch out for?
- How can I stay as healthy as possible with a metastatic spinal tumor?
- How will treatment affect my work and daily life?
Osteonecrosis Of The Jaw
In rare cases, with either bisphosphonates or denosumab, a disorder called osteonecrosis of the jaw may occur . This is mostly a concern for people who take frequent doses of one of these drugs for long periods of time.
To reduce the risk of osteonecrosis of the jaw, its recommend you have a dental exam and take care of any dental work before starting treatment with bisphosphonates or denosumab .
Talk with your oncologist before getting any dental work while youre on bone-strengthening therapy. Also, tell your dentist you are on these medications.
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Boosting The Radiation Dose
A previous trial didnt show a difference between SBRT and conventional radiation therapy in their ability to relieve spinal pain in people with three or fewer sites of spinal metastases.
But there were several key differences between that trial and the current study, Dr. Sahgal explained. The previous trial used a lower dose of SBRT, given in a single session. The current study used a higher total dose of radiation for SBRTa dose high enough to potentially destroy the metastases. SBRT was also given in two sessions, a process called fractionation.
In addition to the higher dose, laboratory experiments have suggested that fractionation itself may actually make radiation more effective at killing cancer cells, said Dr. Sahgal.
The new study also used a method to score pain that took into account the amount of pain medication needed by individual patients for relief, to make sure the effects of palliative radiation therapy werent masked by painkiller use. This is a very robust way to show if we actually improve their outcomes, he explained.
The new trial was conducted by the Canadian Cancer Trials Group, part of NCI’s National Clinical Trials Network. It included about 200 people who had three or fewer spinal metastases in a concentrated area of the spine that were the sole source of their pain. None had measurable signs of instability in the bones of the spine, which would increase the risk of fracture and make it harder to assess pain.
About Metastatic Breast Cancer
Cancer begins when healthy cells change and grow out of control, forming a mass or sheet of cells called a tumor. A tumor can be cancerous or benign. A cancerous tumor is malignant, meaning it can grow and spread to other parts of the body. A benign tumor means the tumor can grow but will not spread. When breast cancer is limited to the breast and/or nearby lymph node regions, it is called early stage or locally advanced. Read about these stages in a different guide on Cancer.Net. When breast cancer spreads to an area farther from where it started to another part of the body, doctors say that the cancer has metastasized. They call the area of spread a metastasis, or use the plural of metastases if the cancer has spread to more than 1 area. The disease is called metastatic breast cancer. Another name for metastatic breast cancer is “stage IV breast cancer if it has already spread beyond the breast and nearby lymph nodes at the time of diagnosis of the original cancer.
Doctors may also call metastatic breast cancer advanced breast cancer. However, this term should not be confused with locally advanced breast cancer, which is breast cancer that has spread to nearby tissues or lymph nodes but not to other parts of the body.
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Special Case: Solitary Metastasis
Prognostic statements are especially important in case of a solitary, locally curable metastasis and a treatable primary tumor in a curative way. For us the question was, if solitary metastasis with any phenotype is always to be treated the same way .
Figure 5. Heidelberg Spine Research Group Therapeutic Algorithm of Solitary Spine Metastasis in Breast Cancer
Either a Ct-controlled or an open biopsy finally ensures the histopathological phenotype. Until the year 2015 the curative therapeutic approach with en-bloc spondylectomy according to Tokuhashi et al. and Tomita et al. was only recommended in hormone positive receptor status with a median survival time of 26 months. In triple-negative or Her-2 enriched phenotypes with an estimated survival time of 5-9 months, a limited posterior instrumentation and decompression of neural structures was indicated. Modern oncologic treatment concepts provide clearly longer survival times and therefore, according to Tokuhashi et al., curative treatment options can principally be applied to all phenotypes in breast cancer with solitary metastasis. In the worst case the mean survival time is actually reported with 15-19 months.
Most Common Places It Spreads
It’s still breast cancer, even if it’s in another organ. For example, if breast cancer spreads to your lungs, that doesn’t mean you have lung cancer. Although it can spread to any part of your body, there are certain places it’s most likely to go to, including the lymph nodes, bones, liver, lungs, and brain.
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What Is The Prognosis For Stage Iv Breast Cancer
Whether a patients metastatic breast cancer is the oligometastatic type or the most challenging, widespread sort, the best possible care addresses the patient as a unique individual. And according to Habibi, there are more reasons for hope than ever before.
Advancements in treatment options have extended the survival of patients with metastatic breast cancer, which had a stigma of being untreatable just a generation ago.
Even within the last decade, all aspects of care have seen a good amount of progress. Better diagnostic tests such as improved PET and CT scans are helping us find cancers faster and initiate treatment. And targeted therapies such as radiation, surgery and systemic treatments have seen improvements as well.
Diagnosis And Surgical Management Of Breast Cancer Metastatic To The Spine
Correspondence to: Daniel M Sciubba, MD, Assistant Professor of Neurological Surgery, Department of Neurosurgery, The Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, Johns Hopkins University, 600 North Wolfe Street, Meyer 5-185a, Baltimore, MD 21231, United States.
Telephone: +1-410-9554424 Fax: +1-410-5023399
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What Are The Treatments For Metastatic Spinal Tumors
Treatment of metastatic cancer of the spine depends on the location, size, and type of the tumor. Treatment aims to relieve your pain, maintain or improve the function in your spine and improve the quality and length of your life. Your healthcare provider may use a combination of therapies to treat your spinal metastases.
Your treatment options might include:
Prognosis For Metastatic Breast Cancer
Metastatic breast cancer isnt the same for everyone who has it. According to the National Breast Cancer Foundation, your symptoms at stage 4 will depend on the degree to which the cancer has spread in your body.
Although metastatic breast cancer has no current cure, it can be treated. Getting the right treatment can increase both your quality of life and longevity.
Life expectancy for breast cancer is based on studies of many people with the condition. These statistics cant predict your personal outcome each persons outlook is different.
The following factors can affect your life expectancy with metastatic breast cancer:
- your age
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Additional Tools For Diagnosing Advanced Breast Cancer
The additional tools below are often used specifically for diagnosing advanced cancer:
Sentinel lymph node biopsy: This procedure removes sentinel lymph node cells during surgery for examination. When breast cancer spreads, it often heads first to the lymph nodes.
Chest X-ray: This detailed image of the chest may help doctors see whether cancer has spread to the bones.
Computed tomography scan: Also known as a CAT scan, this procedure takes detailed pictures of internal areas of the body using a computer linked to an X-ray machine. A dye may be used to help the organs show up more clearly in the images.
Bone scan: This procedure looks for bone metastasis, or cancer cells that have spread to the bone. A small amount of radioactive material is injected into the blood, then detected with a scanner.
Positron emission tomography scan: A PET scan is a detailed imaging tool that uses a radioactive drug, known as a tracer, to search for cancer cells within your body.
Medications For Mild Bone Pain
Bone pain often responds to heat, or to mild pain relievers such as ibuprofen , naproxen or acetaminophen .
Although you can get these medications without a prescription, check with your health care provider before taking them. For example, if you have a low platelet count, or your kidneys are not functioning normally, or you have heart failure, your health care provider may advise you not to take ibuprofen or naproxen.
Learn more about these medications in metastatic breast cancer care.
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