All about Lung Cancer Metastases

Lung Cancer Metastases sites Lung cancer: Mostly occurring in smokers, this type of cancer begins in the lungs and spread to other parts of the body, such as lymph nodes, bones, brain, etc. According to statistics, near about 40% of newly detected lung cancer cases have already reached the advanced stage. Usually, there are two types of lung cancers- non-small cell lung cancer and smallcell lung cancer. Treatments for each of these vary depending on the extent of the condition.

Sites of Lung Cancer Metastases

The most common areas where lung cancer can spread are lymph nodes, liver, bones, brain, and adrenal glands.

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Lymph Nodes

These are the first regions through which lung cancer starts spreading. Generally occurring around Stage 2B of non-small cell lung cancer, which is also referred to as the limited stage of small cell lung cancer, it starts to travel to other areas of the body further from the original tumor. However, if cancer has only reached near the lymph nodes, it hasn’t entered the metastatic stage yet. In fact, during this stage, there are almost no symptoms to detect the condition. As it starts extending beyond the lungs, the commonly noticed symptoms are a lump near the neck or the armpit, swollen glands, and sore throat.

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Bone

Non-small cell lung cancer is metastatic to bones, which makes the situation even more complicated. Approximately 30-40% of lung cancer patients will develop bone metastasis in the advanced stages. The spinal area, including the vertebrae of the chest and lower abdomen area, the pelvis, the upper bones of the arms and legs, also referred to as humerus and femur, are some of the common areas that are affected. It is unlikely, but possible for cancer to also spread to hands and feet.

The initial symptom, in this case, is a muscle pull that will develop into chronic sharp pain in the later stages. In fact, due to the tumor, the bone structure may get weak, and the patient may have a fracture. Bone metastasis of lung cancer may also cause hypercalcemia – where the calcium releases into the blood due to the breakdown of the bones.

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Brain

Lung cancer metastasis to the brain is noticed in about 40% of patients, but mostly, there are no symptoms to identify the condition. Small cell lung cancer can spread rapidly to the brain even prior to the initial diagnosis of the condition. This type of

condition is capable of destroying brain tissue by creating inflammation and swelling. Some of the commonly detected signs for this scenario are seizures, headache, nausea, and vomiting, changes in vision, fatigue, and loss of balance.

Related: ASTRAZENECA’S TAGRISSO CUTS THE RISK OF EGFR-POSITIVE LUNG CANCER PATIENTS DEVELOPING BRAIN METASTASES. •

Liver

Lung cancer metastases to the liver might not be recognized by symptoms. It is detected by a CT scan generally. The symptoms are quite general, like loss of appetite, fatigue, and bloating. In case the patient develops jaundice or edema, a medical test is required immediately.

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Adrenal Glands

These are the small hormonal glands that are located on top of the kidneys. There are no specific symptoms to understand whether the lung cancer has already spread to the adrenal glands and are generally detected when a medical test for stage cancer.

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Other areas

The above-mentioned regions are the most common areas where lung cancer metastases, but it can also occasionally spread to other locations like the pancreas, intestines, eyes, skin, breast, and stomach.

Each of these conditions can be treated by chemotherapy, radiation therapy, targeted therapy, or surgery. In some cases, two or more forms of therapies are required to manage the condition. However, lung cancer cases that have spread to different regions of the body usually have an abysmal statistical prognosis. There are only a few exceptional cases where patients have survived for several years after being diagnosed with lung cancer metastases.

Conclusion Other than the traditional forms of treatment like chemo and surgery, newer and better approaches are coming to the surface, such as immunotherapy, which makes the immune system of the patient strong enough to fight cancer. It is also essential to understand that all forms of treatment won’t be effective for all types of lung cancer patients. There are several factors to be kept in mind, such as genetic mutations, health history, age, and many more before opting for treatment.

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