Some info on cancer spread from breast to bone

[RB TexLa]

http://www.cancerfacts.com/GeneralContent/Breast/Gen_TreatmentOfSpecificSites.asp?CB=10

Bone Metastases

The bones are a common and frequent area of breast cancer spread and the treatment of choice is hormone therapy with tamoxifen. Hormone therapy is very effective in controlling cancer that has spread to the bones. If bone pain exists due to the spread of cancer or if the disease progresses while the person is on tamoxifen, chemotherapy would then be implemented to treat the cancer and the painful symptoms. Radiotherapy can be administered to bone lesions that are particularly large and painful. However, if the physician thinks there is a high chance that the bone will break, the placement of a surgical rod or metal plate needs to be considered because hormone therapy, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy will not result in rapid healing of the bone. Just like a fracture where we use a cast for some period of time, a bone that has had cancer will remain weak and must repair itself after the cancer is successfully treated, and this may take months.

A new drug called pamidronate disodium (Aredia) is being prescribed for women with metastasis to the bone to help reduce further bone breakdown, relieve pain, and minimize fractures. Aredia is given intravenously (IV) as an outpatient procedure every four weeks and is usually well tolerated. Since it does not interfere with the effects of chemotherapy, Aredia and chemotherapy drugs may be given together.

http://patient.cancerconsultants.com/bone_cancer_treatment.aspx?id=614

Cancers Metastatic to Bone or (Secondary bone cancers): Although most cancers can spread to or invade bone, the most common cancers that spread to bone are multiple myeloma, breast, prostate, lung, kidney, and thyroid cancer. The ribs, pelvis and spine are normally the first bones impacted by bone metastases, while bones more distant from the central skeleton are less frequently affected. It is not well understood why certain cancers metastasize to bone more than others. However, some general observations about bone metastases are as follows:

* Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer to spread to bone, followed by prostate, then lung.
* Carcinomas, or cancers that arise from tissues that line or cover organs, are much more likely to metastasize to bone than sarcomas, cancers that originate in connective tissue (cartilage, fat, or muscle).
* Bone metastases from kidney cancer may occur many years after the primary cancer has been treated.

Signs and Symptoms of Bone Cancer

The first symptom of bone cancer is usually pain or tenderness near the cancer. Bone pain is caused by stretching of the periosteum (thick membrane that covers bone) by the cancer, or by stimulation of nerves within the bone. Bone pain may be hard to differentiate from ordinary low back pain or arthritis. Usually the pain due to bone metastasis is fairly constant, even at night. It can be worse in different positions, such as standing up, which may compress the cancer in a weight bearing bone. If pain lasts for more than a week or two, doesn't seem to be going away, and is unlike other pain that may have been experienced, it should be evaluated by a physician.

A patient may also experience a pathological fracture as the first sign of bone cancer. A pathological fracture is a break in a bone due to problems within the bone itself rather than by external factors, such as force. Pathological fractures are caused when the cancer destroys enough bone that the skeleton can no longer support normal body functions adequately.

[brentspeak]

1. My mom died from breast cancer, and that article pretty much sums up went what happened with her

Spread to the rib and spine (bones), some fractures, and then spread to the organs.

[Bitwit1234]

2. My sister's went to her liver

What I could not understand is how it took five years to figure out that it had metastatized.