spleen mets

[clisa]

Hello gang - thought maybe I could ask for some help - I suffer with regular liver mets which cause pain for me and have been under a pain mangt. program with morphine to control these - I am doing well but have been noticng sometimes the last few weeks that my left side (spleen area) and wrapping around my back is beggining to get similar pains. I was wonering if anyone has had any experience with mets to the spleen - an oncologist once said to me that this was often a common place for mets to spread if it has already gone to your liver. I had never heard of this before and I don't recall having read or seen any of you talk about it. Is anyone familiar?

I wonder if it is just compensation pain becasue I protect my right side so much that I am just straining more on my left side? I will ask my pain mgmt. docotr next time I see her. My current oncologist thinks it's nothing and isn't worried - as a matter of fact he even considers my liver stable to the degree that I can manage the pain & we are controlling tumour growth and doesn't want to scan or proceed with any testing.

Lisa

[Becky]

I do not suffer from mets to the spleen but oddly, during my last herceptin infusion, I met a new woman who has been getting herceptin alone since November for her 3rd go around with breast cancer (in the last 15 years). She had mets to the spleen and bones. Her first recurrence was local and came within 18 months of her initial diagnosis. She uses my onc who tested her new tumor for Her2. She is quite elderly so he is giving herceptin alone and it is working. She is also getting tamoxifen versus an AI because she has very bad osteoporesis. Our onc initially tried Faslodex instead of tamoxifen but she couldn't tolerate it.


I gave her all the info about Tykerb and so she can make an informed decision when it is available because she takes it weekly but has some infusion problems so she gets herceptin over a 2 hr period (which is longer than the 3 week regime) and would love to try an oral drug.

She did say our doc told her that spleen mets are rare (period) but more common if you have liver mets (which she does not). But she did say its rare no matter what.

I think if you are worried, you should insist on a scan to put your mind at ease but it is probably nothing (and the compensation of protecting your right side could very well be what is happening).

Warm regards,

Becky

[StephN]

I have had extensive liver mets and when I get my scans part of the report always mentions that nothing is seen in the spleen. So they DO check that area carefully when they scan. Not an unheard of organ to met to, but my med onc also told me once that it is rare.
Good luck and if it continues to bother you so much, I would have another scan.

[MCS]

I had a ct scan done about a month ago because I was complaining about left side pains just under my ribs.

The ct scan would detect if mets had gone into the spleen.

good luck

MCS ( maria)