Username:    Password:      Remember me       

Cancer Forums

A website for discussions about any type of cancer, including lung cancer, breast cancer, mesothelioma, prostate cancer, laryngeal cancer, leukemia, lymphoma, multiple myeloma and others

SearchSearch   DigestsEmail Digests     Register to postRegister to post   ProfileProfile   Check private messagesCheck private messages   Log inLog in 
Silly question What is this ?

 
Post new topic   Reply to topic    Cancer Forums Forum Index -> General Cancer topics


Author
Paul1956
New User


Joined: 23 Aug 2008
Posts: 6

PostPosted: Sun Sep 21, 2008 12:38 pm    Post subject: Silly question Reply with quote

Hi,

If you have prostate cancer say that has gone to the brain is it still prostate cancer and would it be treated as brain cancer or still prostate cancer. like wise if you had breast cancer that had gone to the lung would this now be lung cancer and treated the same way as primary lung cancer or breast cancer.

Paul
Back to top
pbj11
Site Admin


Joined: 12 May 2007
Posts: 1386

PostPosted: Sun Sep 21, 2008 12:59 pm    Post subject: Re: Silly question Reply with quote

Paul,

Not silly at all. Wherever the spread, the cancer is still the original cancer with metastasis. If lung cancer spread to the liver and they could get a microscopic sample of the liver tumor, the cells would be lung cancer. All is treated with the same chemotherapy appropriate for the primary cancer.

Rarely do people get two primary cancers at the same time, but it does happen.

Best luck,
PBJ
_________________
Husband diagnosed with NSCLC Stage IV. (Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer) Fought & lived 2 1/2 years with multiple lines of treatment.

Post describing our battle: http://cancerforums.net/viewtopic.php?t=7026&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0
Back to top
brainman
Chief Admin


Joined: 13 Oct 2005
Posts: 4422
Location: Tennessee

PostPosted: Sun Sep 21, 2008 7:28 pm    Post subject: Re: Silly question Reply with quote

Hi Paul. If you took a biopsy of the tumor in the prostate and a biopsy of the metastatic tumor in the brain and viewed both under a microscope, they would look identical. I agree with pbj that the chemo would be the same. The reason that a primary brain cancer has different chemotherapy drugs is that primary brain cancers are within the brain barrier and most other drugs cannot penetrate that barrier.
_________________
Jim
Site Administrator and long-term cancer survivor
1992 Astrocytoma grade 2, left motor strip
2005 Recurrence this time said to be an Oligodendroglioma grade 3, same location.
My Story Part 1: http://cancerforums.net/viewtopic.php?p=7350
My Story Part 2: http://cancerforums.net/viewtopic.php?t=8029
Blog http://jimhawkinsport.blogspot.com/
Back to top
pbj11
Site Admin


Joined: 12 May 2007
Posts: 1386

PostPosted: Mon Sep 22, 2008 4:22 pm    Post subject: Re: Silly question Reply with quote

Hey Jim,

Well, thanks for that "one step further" explanation. I didn't want to get into the whole blood/brain barrier issue but have often wondered how primary brain cancer can be treated with chemo at times. Huh, you learn something new every day.

PBJ
_________________
Husband diagnosed with NSCLC Stage IV. (Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer) Fought & lived 2 1/2 years with multiple lines of treatment.

Post describing our battle: http://cancerforums.net/viewtopic.php?t=7026&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0
Back to top


Display posts from previous:   
Post new topic   Reply to topic    Cancer Forums Forum Index -> General Cancer topics All times are GMT - 5 Hours
Page 1 of 1

 
Jump to:  
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum
Download our Toolbar



Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2002 phpBB Group