If a metastasis lands near or inside these structures, then it may simply block, squeeze, or crush these parts in a way that can be devastating. For example, a metastatic tumor may block an airway or press on the part of the brain that controls breathing.
Bones: If cancer is in the bones, too much calcium may go into the bloodstream, which can cause unconsciousness and death. Bones with tumors may also break and not heal.
Worsening weakness and exhaustion. A need to sleep much of the time, often spending most of the day in bed or resting. Weight loss and/or muscle loss as part of cachexia. Little or no appetite and difficulty eating or swallowing fluids.
Stage 4 bone cancer
This is the most advanced form of the disease. In stage 4, the cancer has spread beyond the bone to other areas of the body. For bone cancer, staging also takes into account how abnormal the cells look under the microscope (the grade).
Most patients with metastatic bone disease survive for 6-48 months. In general, patients with breast and prostate carcinoma live longer than those with lung carcinoma. Patients with renal cell or thyroid carcinoma have a variable life expectancy.
Only 4.5% of persons survived beyond 24 months, while more than 50% lost their lives within the first 6 months. By the time there is a bone metastasis, the disease will be mostly in the advanced stage.
With rare exceptions, cancer that has spread to the bones can't be cured. Treatments can help reduce pain and other symptoms of bone metastases.
Palliative RT for bone metastases reduces pain in the majority of patients, though often takes several weeks [5]. The use of palliative RT use in the final weeks of life of therefore may have limited clinical use and may actually impair quality of life for patients and their families near the end of life [5].
Although the overall prognosis may be poor based on cases with previous patients and older treatments, many patients with stage 4 cancer can live for years. A few factors to keep in mind: Many treatments are available to help fight cancer. The body's response to treatment may differ from that of others.
The majority of patients with metastatic bone disease experience moderate to severe pain and bone pain is one of the most common types of chronic pain in these patients.
Palliative care is an approach to care that addresses the person as a whole, not just their disease. The goal is to prevent or treat, as early as possible, the symptoms and side effects of the disease and its treatment, in addition to any related psychological, social, and spiritual problems.
Chronic pain can be due to changes to the nerves. Nerve changes may be due to cancer pressing on nerves or due to chemicals produced by a tumour. It can also be caused by nerve changes due to cancer treatment. Chronic pain continues long after the injury or treatment is over and can range from mild to severe.
You will likely feel very tired. Fatigue is one of the most common symptoms at the end-of-life phase. Even when you lie still, cancer saps the energy from your body. Expect to feel drowsy and weaker day by day.
Pain. Pain is the most common symptom of bone metastases. It tends be a constant, aching pain that may be worse during activity and can cause sleeping difficulties. Bone pain from cancer tends to be quite different from the pain caused by common conditions such as arthritis or muscular strains.
The most common symptom of bone metastases, and usually the first to happen, is pain in the bone. Bone pain can come and go, or it can be constant. It is often worse at night. The pain may be only in one area or it may spread throughout the body.
Bone metastasis occurs either via a direct invasion of bone tissue or secondarily to bone marrow, the latter being the most common. Bone marrow is colonized by metastatic cancer cells which in turn spread to the firm bone matrix [5].
The response rate in the population surviving at least 2 weeks after treatment was 63% (95% CI 58–67%). Of all assessable patients, the response rate was 67% (95% CI 62–72%).
Metastatic bone cancer means the cancer has spread to another part of the body, such as the lungs. This is stage 4.
Medications known as steroids can often help to relieve pain associated with bone metastases by decreasing swelling and inflammation around the sites of cancer. These steroids are different from the types of steroids that bodybuilders or athletes use to build muscle.
For example, the five-year survival rate for metastatic lung cancer is 7%. This means that 7% of people diagnosed with metastatic lung cancer are still alive five years later. Meanwhile, the five-year survival rate of metastatic breast cancer is 28% for women and 22% for men.
A patient with widespread metastasis or with metastasis to the lymph nodes has a life expectancy of less than six weeks. A patient with metastasis to the brain has a more variable life expectancy (one to 16 months) depending on the number and location of lesions and the specifics of treatment.
Metastatic cancer is fatal because it has the ability to spread inside the body. The cancer could infect the nearby tissues by spreading. The cells could spread regionally also, such as, organs, tissues, and lymph nodes. When this type of spread happens, it is also termed as stage four cancer, done by metastasis.