Metastases of Lung Cancer - 1251337

Interesting question - I too have wondered about this. I feel I have seen stats on brain metastases (as in, x proportion of stage IV patients will develop them) but nothing else. It would be interesting to hear from a doctor on this.
Judging from GRACE - the liver seems a common site for metastasis, which would make sense as it is so near the lungs. Maybe stats are not kept? In my notes it usually just says "Lung Cancer", without any mention of the mets.
My instructions from the oncologist are to report anything out of the ordinary. The whole thing is a tightrope walk between vigilance and common sense. I suppose one thing I have learnt the hard way is never to try and diagnose yourself - when in doubt, ask a doctor. All best.

When the conversation turns to stats I'm surprised at myself for reacting the way I do.
Under normal circumstances I love to play with them. I use them to decide whether or not to spend money on a concert compared to how much I'm likely to enjoy it. Whether it's really going to storm, how likely it is I'll see 10 meteors in the city in one cold hour.
But when it comes to D and lung cancer and now to Grace and those who want them, all I can think is, it doesn't matter, each person is an individual and anything is possible. Cancer will do what it wants to do. liver, adrenal, brain, bones in spine, lymph nodes, hips, ribs, all come to mind from reading all these posts. But I've read too of so many other places they show up and the doctors always say the same thing, anything can happen with cancer.

As certain spring said, "My instructions from the oncologist are to report anything out of the ordinary. The whole thing is a tightrope walk between vigilance and common sense."

I'll ask a doctor to comment. You should hear back within a day.

Hoping for the best,
Janine

I think they are good questions... very normal things to be curious about. I've thought about the same things. I asked some similar questions in the past about bone mets, wondering if they tend to show up in areas where there is already bone damage. I can't find the old thread.

I found this site informative:
http://www.cancerresearchuk.org/cancer-help/type/lung-cancer/treatment/…

Anyway, Dr. West was very informative then, and I look forward to the faculty's input here. Thanks for asking!

Debra

The most common location for lung cancer to metastasize to are other parts of the lung, the bones, liver, adrenal glands, and the brain. The general numbers thrown around for brain metastases is in the range of 10-15% overall, and 50-70% for small cell lung cancer over the course of the illness, but I don't have stats for the others. That gets a little overly specific, since it really doesn't matter from a standpoint of how patients are managed or how they tend to do (with the exception of the brain as more of a special case, where outcomes have historically tended to be less favorable). There have been some reports here and there that patients with liver metastases may do less well, but there's so much variability, especially in a world of molecular markers and new treatments, that many of the historical trends may no longer hold up very well. And in fact, these conclusions are only as solid as the means of looking for metastases. Since PET scans and head MRIs have become more widely available and frequently incorporated into staging, we're seeing more patients with subtle metastases that wouldn't have been seen before, so the stats and outcomes probably aren't as accurate if we're now seeing more patients with various areas of metastases but also probably seeing them do better for longer because we're finding metastases that would have likely been missed more than 8 or 10 years ago.

-Dr. West

And it's just not possible to make a list of everything to watch for. I think it comes down to your best judgment about any new or progressive and worrisome issues.

-Dr. West

I think it's always appropriate to report symptoms, but it's less appropriate to ask for a specific test that may not be appropriate for the situation. The doctor still has the role of putting the symptoms into context and is responsible for the decision of when to do an additional workup, as well as what tests to pursue. I don't think it's ideal to have patients offer expectations or demands for an MRI for every headache or a PET scan for pain that may not require a workup, or for which other tests might be a good choice.

-Dr. West