Question 1

my mum has been told she has secondary cancer she has a tumour behind her heart and one on her lung is secondary cancer terminal?

Accepted Answer

Possibly: It really depends on the type of cancer, aggressiveness of the cancer, and response rates to various treatments.  Without knowing the type of cancer it sounds like would be considered recurrent "stage 4" cancer. Unfortunately, most stage 4 cancers would be considered terminal, but even with that prognosis can vary greatly (from months to possibly many years) depending again on her specific status.

Question 2

is secondary cancer always terminal? my nana's breast cancer has spread to her liver...how long does she have to live?

Accepted Answer

Not good, but...: Nowadays, the advent of chemotherapy &amp; the understanding of the cancer with specific cell types have brought much more good news to the cancer affected patients including breast cancer although, of course, metastatic cancer worsens the longevity. For your nana, it would be more logical to direct this Q to her medical oncologist who knows more her individual conditions than anyone online.

Question 3

what's primary vs secondary cancer?

Accepted Answer

Origin and spread: Primary cancer of an organs is one that originated in that organ, e.G, lung cancer in smokers.  Seconday cancer is one that spread from one organ to another, e.g., lung cancer spreading to liver, brain, bone etc would be secondary cancer for liver, brain, bone etc.

Question 4

what does secondary cancer spreading mean?

Accepted Answer

Means spreading: Primary cancer means intial location of         ( main cancer )cancer like breast , lung , kidney, etc  secondary cancer  means metastatic cancer  or spread from main cancer. Spreading  means more and more growing and spreading , not under control , not good news.

Question 5

supposing that cancer has spread from an origin, is that secondary cancer treated differently ?

Accepted Answer

Excellent question!!: The metastatic cancer is named the same as the primary but as you hinted, the treatment may be somewhat different. Most (not all) of the times, if a cancer spreads it is considered incurable so the intensity of therapy and the balance of benefits vs. Side effects is different compared to treating the primary.  This depends a lot on the situation, so maybe you can give us more info.

Question 6

are there any secondary cancer survivors?

Accepted Answer

Yes: Hundreds of thousands of people have been cured of cancer twice or more. Cancers secondary to the treatment of a first cancer (leukemias from chemotherapy, sarcomas from radiation) are often stubborn but have been cured many times. Be hopeful.

Question 7

how curable is secondary cancer?

Accepted Answer

Metastatic Disease: Cancer that has spread from one organ to another is rarely curable but often treatable.  It really depends on the type of cancer, the organ(s) involved, and the overall health of the patient.

Question 8

what does secondary cancer of the spine mean?

Accepted Answer

Metastases: I would assume they mean it came from somewhere else. Lung, breast, and prostate cancer often spread to the bone but any cancer could in theory.

Question 9

what are the chances of survival of secondary cancer in the liver?

Accepted Answer

Depends: Depends on the type. For colon, the most common, can be up to 40% in selected cases treated with combinations of surgery (resection) and chemotherapy.

Question 10

could cervical cancer be a secondary cancer?

Accepted Answer

Secondary to what?: If u mean caused by something, smoking and hpv virus are common culprits. If you mean cancer spreading to the cervix, it can happen with endometrial cancer and conceivably other pelvic cancers like ovary, vagina, rectum, or bladder, which can grow directly into it.  I would think that more distant cancers would rarely if ever metastasize into the cervix but to be honest i'm not sure.

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Doctor answers about:

Is secondary cancer terminal

A member asked:

My mum has been told she has secondary cancer she has a tumour behind her heart and one on her lung is secondary cancer terminal?

A member asked:

Is secondary cancer always terminal? my nana's breast cancer has spread to her liver...how long does she have to live?

A member asked:

What's primary vs secondary cancer?

A member asked:

What does secondary cancer spreading mean?

A member asked:

Supposing that cancer has spread from an origin, is that secondary cancer treated differently ?

A member asked:

Are there any secondary cancer survivors?

A member asked:

How curable is secondary cancer?

A member asked:

What does secondary cancer of the spine mean?

A member asked:

What are the chances of survival of secondary cancer in the liver?

A member asked:

Could cervical cancer be a secondary cancer?

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