Contents:
- Medical Video: Stage 3 and Stage 4 Lung Cancer
- How does lung cancer spread in the body?
- Which body parts will be the first place for the spread of lung cancer?
- 1. Lymph nodes
- 2. Bone
- 3. Brain
- 4. Heart (liver)
- 5. Other body parts
- What if lung cancer spreads can be cured?
Medical Video: Stage 3 and Stage 4 Lung Cancer
Lung cancer is cancer that causes the highest mortality rate in the world in 2015, according to data compiled by the World Health Organization or WHO. Just like other types of cancer, the chances of recovery will be greater if the cancer is found in the early stages. However, most lung cancer is detected when it is advanced and spreads. So, to which part of the body did lung cancer spread? How do lung cancer spread in the body? Can it be cured if it has spread? Find out the answer below.
How does lung cancer spread in the body?
In fact, of all known lung cancer cases, nearly 40 percent have spread to other parts of the body. So, initially the cancer cells that grow in the lungs will divide and multiply themselves.
After the amount is large, food in the lung area is no longer enough for the cancer cells that have developed. Therefore, these abnormal cells will look for a new place to 'live'. Now, when this happens, the cancer cells will enter the blood vessels and lymph channels, so that they can travel to all parts of the body.
When cancer cells have started walking, this is a sign that lung cancer has spread to other parts of the body. At that moment, the cancer stage usually increases.
Which body parts will be the first place for the spread of lung cancer?
Because using blood vessels and lymph channels as a means of "transportation" in the body, cancer cells can spread to any part of the body. However, in lung cancer, the most frequently targeted parts are:
1. Lymph nodes
The first spread will usually occur in the lymph glands in the chest around the lungs. Lung cancer that has exceeded stage one, usually already affects the lymph gland. When lung cancer spreads to the lymph glands, there are no symptoms that appear and can be detected by doing a special medical examination.
2. Bone
About 30 percent of cases of advanced lung cancer spread to the body's bones. The part of the bone that is usually attacked by lung cancer cells is the spine, pelvic bone, and bones in the hands
Usually the sign of lung cancer spreading to the bone is the pain that is felt in certain parts of the bone and this constant pain does not go away. If the cancer attacks the spine, the risk of paralysis is quite large.
In bone, cancer cells will damage bone tissue and take all calcium, making bones more fragile. Detection of the spread of lung cancer to bone is usually known by performing a bone scan, PET scan, or MRI scan.
3. Brain
The brain is the body part that is most often the target of lung cancer cells. Because, it is known that there are 40 percent of cases of lung cancer eventually spread to the brain. All types of lung cancer have the possibility of attacking parts of the brain.
When lung cancer cells are in the brain, cancer quickly destroys nerve cells and forms new tumors. This will make the brain become inflamed and depressed. Even so, one in three cancer patients who experience spread to the brain, do not experience symptoms in the brain.
However, gradually the symptoms of this spread will also be seen and usually in the form of headaches, seizures, loss of balance, impaired vision, difficulty thinking and remembering, and suddenly unable to move some parts of the body.
If this happens, then the treatment that will be done is palliative care, because the patient's recovery rate is quite small if it has spread to the brain. In palliative medicine, the medical team will try to make the patient comfortable, not feel sick, and extend the patient's life expectancy.
4. Heart (liver)
Lung cancer spreads to the liver, usually does not cause any symptoms and is only known when experiencing a medical examination, such as CT scans - this examination is usually performed routinely by lung cancer patients.
However, in some cases, there are symptoms that arise when the cancer has reached the liver, namely in the form of pain in the lower ribs, loss of appetite, and continued nausea.
5. Other body parts
Other body parts that can also be used as shelter for lung cancer cells are the digestive organs. Starting from the stomach, small intestine, and large intestine, then the adrenal glands, eyes, kidneys, breasts, and even the skin.
What if lung cancer spreads can be cured?
When cancer cells grow in the body, the cancer cells will make their own blood vessels to easily spread to all parts of the body. When this happens, the cancer usually enters stage 3 or more.
If indeed cancer has entered stage 4, then the average survival time for lung cancer patients is around 8 months. Only about 2 percent can survive up to 5 years. This is actually not an exact number. Because, this depends on the condition of each patient. To find out more about your condition, you should consult your doctor regularly.
