HER2 Support Group Forums - View Single Post

StephN · 11-10-2005, 12:20 AM

Hi Karen -
It has been one of the missions of this website to educate about the possibility and and proliferation of metasteses to the brain as a result of breast cancer.

Unfortunately the brain is one of the favorite places in our bodies the breast cancer will move to. The other two favorites are the liver and lungs, not forgetting the bones. Of all the cancers the three that favor the brain are (in order of most occurrence) melanoma, lung cancer and then breast cancer. Normally we are talking about people who are already stage IV or who have had disease progression. So, the cancer may move to the liver and then to the brain, as happened in my case. Fortunately I have been able to fight it off and currently show no signs of active disease. (A little GOOD news!)

It is not unheard of for the brain to be the first place the cancer goes. This is much less frequent than it going to the brain after another part of the body. For these reasons, we Her2 positive types are pushing for brain screenings.

I am not sure how many women who are still early stage are getting those screenings, but some are. Most of us who have had disease progression get a brain MRI once a year. In my case I had NO symptoms and two tumors. I was able to take care of them with Gamma Knife radiosurgery.

It is alarming to find all this out, but this again is part of the "knowledge is power" theme of this website. If we know about it we are not so shocked and we will take steps to catch it early.

Keep asking your questions, and digest the answers as you can. On this message board you will find women from all walks with many circumstances, but we all try to help each other as best we can.

11-10-2005, 12:20 AM	#2
StephN Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Misty woods of WA State Posts: 4,128	Brain MRIs Hi Karen - It has been one of the missions of this website to educate about the possibility and and proliferation of metasteses to the brain as a result of breast cancer. Unfortunately the brain is one of the favorite places in our bodies the breast cancer will move to. The other two favorites are the liver and lungs, not forgetting the bones. Of all the cancers the three that favor the brain are (in order of most occurrence) melanoma, lung cancer and then breast cancer. Normally we are talking about people who are already stage IV or who have had disease progression. So, the cancer may move to the liver and then to the brain, as happened in my case. Fortunately I have been able to fight it off and currently show no signs of active disease. (A little GOOD news!) It is not unheard of for the brain to be the first place the cancer goes. This is much less frequent than it going to the brain after another part of the body. For these reasons, we Her2 positive types are pushing for brain screenings. I am not sure how many women who are still early stage are getting those screenings, but some are. Most of us who have had disease progression get a brain MRI once a year. In my case I had NO symptoms and two tumors. I was able to take care of them with Gamma Knife radiosurgery. It is alarming to find all this out, but this again is part of the "knowledge is power" theme of this website. If we know about it we are not so shocked and we will take steps to catch it early. Keep asking your questions, and digest the answers as you can. On this message board you will find women from all walks with many circumstances, but we all try to help each other as best we can.