Question 1

advanced prostrate cancer spread to brain, spine and liver/what is life expectancy time?

Accepted Answer

Not long...: ...I'm afraid, particularly if it's spread to the brain. It may vary depending on whether he gets treatment and how well it works but in general his prognosis is very poor.  I would focus on helping him feel as good as possible for whatever time he is given rather than guessing how long he actually has.

Question 2

what is the term for when cancer spreads to the brain?

Accepted Answer

Metastasis: This is called brain metastasis (singular) or metastases (plural). Sometimes the slang term "brain met" is used.

Question 3

how can cancer that spread to brain kill you. taking care of someone ?

Accepted Answer

It often does: If the tumors in the brain grow to a big size(over 2-3 cm) they cause increasing compromise of brain functions due to raised intracranial pressure which leads to mental confusion, coma and death over a period of few weeks.

Question 4

can  thyroid  cancer spread  to    the   brain?

Accepted Answer

Yes but rare: Thyroid cancers do spread ( meta)  to brain  less frequently.

Question 5

can breast cancer spread to the brain, be cured?

Accepted Answer

Stage IV: When breast cancer spreads to other organ beyond the breast area- lung, liver, bones, brain, --it is called metastasis. This is a stage IV disease-and is considered to be incurable disease, unfortunately, .

Question 6

why does lung cancer spread to the brain so often?

Accepted Answer

Lung cancer: The different cell types of lung cancer have the propensity to spread to different organs either due to blood stream patterns, adjacent anatomy or the affinity of these other organs to receive and grow these cancer strains.  It turns out that the brain is one of those susceptible organs.

Question 7

the doctors think my grandpa's bladder cancer spread to his brain but how? he hasnt had bladder cancer in about 6 months. he does have cll leukemia

Accepted Answer

Probable bladder met: CLL usually remains dormant for long periods.  Ive had several patients with bladder Ca with mets to brain.  Prior to treatment of the primary bladder lesion which can control disease either by fulguration and or BCG  some tumor cells may have invaded blood system.  Cells in blood have reservoir in bone marrow and as such 6 mo. after primary treatment cells leave marrow to implant in brain

Question 8

can cancer spread to the brain when someone is having chemo for lung cancer?

Accepted Answer

Yes: Unfortunately not that uncommon and indicates failure of that chemotherapy.

Question 9

at what maximum rate can breast cancer spread to the brain?

Accepted Answer

Depends: This depends on the biology of the cancer and the initial stage of the disease when brought to medical attention.  "triple-negative" breast cancers (er-, pr-, her2-) are more likely to result in brain metastases than "hormone-receptor" positive breast cancers, which tend to have slower courses of recurrence and don't usually show up in the brain.  Talk to your surgeon or oncologist for more info!

Question 10

how to determine if cancer has spread to the brain?

Accepted Answer

Imaging studies...: If a person has cancer that has spread to the brain from another body site, the person may have symptoms such as headache, confusion, personality changes, seizures, etc... 
If there is suspicion of metastatic cancer in the brain, then the patient can undergo imaging studies of the brain such as a ct scan or an mri.  These studies will allow the care team to diagnoses metastases in most situations.

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Doctor answers about:

Cancer spread to brain

A member asked:

Advanced prostrate cancer spread to brain, spine and liver/what is life expectancy time?

A member asked:

What is the term for when cancer spreads to the brain?

A member asked:

How can cancer that spread to brain kill you. taking care of someone ?

A member asked:

Can thyroid cancer spread to the brain?

A member asked:

Can breast cancer spread to the brain, be cured?

A member asked:

Why does lung cancer spread to the brain so often?

A member asked:

The doctors think my grandpa's bladder cancer spread to his brain but how? he hasnt had bladder cancer in about 6 months. he does have cll leukemia

A member asked:

Can cancer spread to the brain when someone is having chemo for lung cancer?

A member asked:

At what maximum rate can breast cancer spread to the brain?

A member asked:

How to determine if cancer has spread to the brain?

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