A question....

Mary Jo · 02-02-2008, 12:43 PM

Hi everyone,

I have a question for you all. When I last met with my radiation oncologist for a check up we talked about cancer recurrence and where it most likely occured first. I told him my greatest fear was cancer spreading to my brain and knew that her2 positive breast cancers like to go to the brain. He told me that for me to have a recurrence in my brain first was very unlikely. He preceded to tell me how breast cancer typically recurs and stated that it almost always goes somewhere else BEFORE it goes to the brain.

I don't really know for those of you who have brain mets if it went their first or not. I'm just curious if any of you who were diagnosed with brain mets as a recurrence had the recurrence their first and not someplace else in your body.

Thank you and so glad you are all here to ask these questions too.

Love & Peace,

Mary Jo

"Don't count your days but make each day count"

Faith in Him · 02-02-2008, 12:56 PM

Hi Mary Jo,

My Onc. has told me the same thing. That the cancer would appear somewhere else in the body before going to the brain. I sure you will get the correct answer shortly.

Hugs
Tonya

Mary Anne in TX · 02-02-2008, 01:34 PM

But didn't Christine's go to the brain first?

Mary Jo · 02-02-2008, 01:46 PM

Hi Mary Anne,

Her mets were to the chest and brain in 1999, at least according to what her signature says. So, therefore it was in one other place. I'm curious if anyone has ever had a recurrence to the brain but not to any other organ or area.

Thanks Mary Anne......................

Mary Jo

Karen W · 02-02-2008, 02:02 PM

I think you are right Marejo... Christine had mets in her lungs and brain.

caya · 02-02-2008, 02:10 PM

My oncologist also said that while it is possible to go to the brain first (anything is possible), it is not common. He told me that if I recurred, the order would most likely be 1- lungs, 2-bones, 3-organs, 4-brain. But he's given me an over 90% chance of the beast NOT recurring, - and I'm with him.

all the best
caya

Alice · 02-02-2008, 02:36 PM

Hi,

The way my onc described it to me was that the spread was not that it went to the brain more or first, than other breast cancers, that we are now more likely to have erradicated the systemic disease even before it is detected and that Herceptin as it does not cross the blood brain barrier, leaves our brain the least protected. Simply the reason there are more incidences of brain mets is due to the cancer not killing us via lungs, liver, bones first. It is still a heck of a lot better than the chances before Herceptin and now with some of the new drugs that cross over there is much to be excited about.
Alice

micheleu · 02-02-2008, 04:54 PM

Mary Jo,
you've already made it past the most critial time frame.. the first 2 years!! I was always afraid of that also..esp when i had 35 pos nodes to deal with in my thoughts.

tricia keegan · 02-02-2008, 05:03 PM

Mary Jo, a dear her2 sister of our's Carol from Dundee whoi I'm in touch with had mets to bone first and then brain so this may be right. I'll be interested to see the replies myself to your thread.

Bill · 02-02-2008, 08:39 PM

Hey Marejo! My wife Nicola, had liver mets first, then the brain mets. Before she got the brain mets, she did alot of research here and elsewhere on brain mets, and wasn't really afraid of them, because usually a round of whole brain radiation eradicates them most of the time, and if not, the gammaknife or cyberknife rads. usually take care of the one or two defiant tumours. From what I've seen and heard over the last few years, mets typically occur elsewhere before the brain. Like my friend says, "Don't borrow trouble". Warm wishes, Bill