Brain mets... Looking for answers!

[Whitney2008]

My mother was diagnosed with breast cancer and they removed the lump, she was in remission for a year. Then after more more cancer they did a double mascetomy and removed the lymp nodes from under her arm. One year ago they found that her cancer spread to her lungs, liver and brain. She had serveral small spots and one 30mm tumor on her brain. Eight months ago she had WBR fifteen days straight and recieved good news that the small spot were gone and the big tumor's size had reduced. Then her neurologist avdised her to take care of her lungs and liver and then they would continue on her brain since it was under control.

Two months ago she received her PET scan results and her lungs and liver was clear. Then a new MRI revealed so many new brain mets that they could not count them and the large brain met was back up to 30 mm. She has now taken 2 months of Temodar b/c her doctor said she could not have WBR again since she had it 6 months earlier.

Can someone have WBR more than once?
And what is the life expectancy for a person with this many brain mets?

I have read everything online and I really want the truth....

Thank you in advance!

[Bill]

Hi Whitney! I'm sorry to hear about you and your mother's struggles, but I'm glad you're asking questions on this site. My wife was told she could have WBR twice, and I'm not sure, but it would seem to me to be the same for your Mom. It's great that her liver and lungs are clear. Also, I don't know all of the details, but I think Tykerb passes the blood/ brain barrier as well. That may be option. You're both in my thoughts and prayers, Bill

[hutchibk]

I was DXed one year ago with multiple tiny brain mets and three 8-9 mm bigger mets. At the time, Tykerb (lapatinib) had just been approved for use in the metastatic setting. My docs told me that we should consider WBR followed by Tykerb. (and if after that we still saw brain mets, then we would start looking at Temodar and other options...)

Well, I sat with them and went over the options, and we decided to start with pharmaceutical approach...Tykerb/Xeloda (because Tykerb and Xeloda cross the blood brain barrier and would potentially treat the brain mets without WBR). We would MRI again in a month and see if we were getting any response, and if not then we would consider targeted radiation or WBR immediately. In a month we saw less enhancement of the spots, after 3 more months we saw them shrink by half, and after 6 months total, all my brain mets were gone.

Long story short, my experience has been incredible with Tykerb/Xeloda. Has her doctor talked to you about this treatment option (which many are using post WBR and also getting great results)?? If not, you need to bring it up to him ASAP and tell him you are interested. Many of us here are on Tykerb/Xeloda and having great response. Of course, there are always those who a treatment does not work as well for, but it is a powerful option that should be considered!

[Sherryg683]

A friend of mine had WBR twice, she had lung cancer with mets to the brain. Sadly the mets to the brain came back and she was told if she did WBR a third time, she could end up a vegetable. She choose not to do it, she passed away last year. She survived 22 months with lung cancer/brain mets..Survival is different in everyone and hard to predict...sherryg683

[Vi Schorpp]

Have you gone to the pull down menu on this site for brain/metastasis? There is a wealth of information there. Good luck to your mother and to you.

[Debbie Laxague]

http://www.brainmetsbc.org/

[Unregistered]

www.livingwithbrainmets.org

[abitjaded]

Just a warning, so far I have found the Internet junk about WBRT to be dated. Don't read anything that is more than a year or two old. The therapy has changed dramatically in the last year or two. Much less scary! (This site gives two people who had 50Gy, I'm only getting 30Gy, the new standard.) I'm in week two of two of WBRT, and it ain't nothing as bad as the whole breast rigamarole was in the first place.

Insist on seeing all the Oncology Radiologists and Neurosurgeons and Neurology, now, for a long consult. Chances are they can assuage some of your fears.

There are still plenty of options for your mom.

Some of us are bound to be the new hope. There are few "truths" because we are the new frontier. New chemo, new antibodies, new hope.

Carla