[drako]

My grandmother is 80, diagnosed with small call lung cancer. She will have a brain scan this week to determine is it has spread. How often does lung cancer spread tot he brain? How long does it generally take to spread?

[Heaven L]

First, let me say I am very sorry to hear about this, and I wish you and your grandmother the best. I'll answer your question from a strictly medical standpoint, based on what small cell carcinoma of the lung is, and what it does, what to expect, etc.

Cancer of the lungs can come in several forms, to name a few encasing,enemamous cell carcinoma, and the one you are dealing with now, small cell carcinoma. The distinctions between the cancers are made to differentiate the cell types in the lungs which are involved, the progression the disease will likely take, and the treatment and prognosis of the disease.

At the risk of sounding dramatic, and I don't mean at all to worry or frighten you, small cell cancers are the least favorable cancers to have. In fact, the distinction is usually only made whether a lung tumor is a small cell tumor or a non-small cell tumor because the treatment is so different. Small cell tumors are almost exclusively linked to smoking (yet one more reason for people not to smoke), and even people who have only smoked a few years have a much increased risk of developing these tumors over their entire lives, not just during the time they smoke.

Small cell tumors are not favorable because they are very aggressive. They spread quickly and aggressively. At the time they are diagnosed, roughly 80-90% of small cell cancers of the lungs have already spread (metasticized) to other parts of the body. If you know anything about cancers, this is always a bad sign. The treatment for any form of lung cancer other than small cell is usually surgical removal of the tumor, followed by chemotherapy. In the case of a small cell cancer, surgery is almost never an option. Since the tumors have almost always spread at the time of diagnosis, removing a lung or part of a lung will have no benefit at all. Do not be surprised if the CT scan or MRI of the brain already shows cancer there.

As far as time, because of the nature of these tumors, small cell cancers grow quickly. Cancers are usually reported in 5-year survival rates, a statistic that shows how many people with cancer are still alive five years after they are diagnosed. Small cell lung tumors have a very low survival rate at 5 years, I can't remember exactly off hand, but I believe it's somewhere around the 5-10% mark. The tumor has potential to be fatal within 6 weeks to 9 months of diagnosis. Your grandmother's age may also be a factor in treatment, since her age may not allow her to tolerate chemotherapy easily.

That said, chemotherapy is the treatment for this disease, and in some people, can definitely help. Stay with her and give her whatever support you can offer. Your family may want to look into some kind of hospice program should her disease worsen. I wish you the best of luck during this difficult time.

[A.J]

It can spread to the brain. It can spread anywhere, actually. It is best to talk to her doctor and find out what is going on in her specific case. Even though most cancers follow a relatively predictable path, each individual is different. If your grandmother has a strong immune system, she may be able to fight it off longer than if she has been weakened by other illnesses.

You can do a Google search on small cell lung cancer and get a lot of information. But to get information specifically about your grandmother's case, talk to her doctor.

[roRose B]

Lung cancer frequently metastasizes (spreads) to the brain. It will already be there if she was diagnosed late (versus early). It will be the same kind of cancer, and is usually a very aggressive tumor. Spend as much time with her as you can.

[hockeyplaya]

I recommend Dr. Hulda Clark's book about cancers. You can look at them on amazon. She's excellent.

"The Cure for Advanced Cancers", "The Cure for All Cancers", "The PRevention for Cancers."

She offers some 3 week herbal therapy that you can do at home. It's worth trying!

[Joe Davola]

Cancer can spread anywhere. My mother had uterine cancer that spread to her brain and took her life 7 months later.

[Kris.....]

aftermath of breast ca..usually is bone ca..now lung ca, usually the aftermath is brain ca but yes, any cancer can metastasize in any organs, i guess its just more common for these type of cancer to spread in these specific organs

[babenimue]

My husband was diagnosed with lung cancer March 20Th. He went Thur radiation, chemo, and gamma knife procedure for brain tumor(ask your doc about that) and took a drug called Trevar. He passed June 6Th. It is a very aggressive cancer. Good luck to you.

[zamarel]

My mom found out she was in the final stages of lung cancer, then died within 2 weeks. She had just turned 63.

I don't know if it spread.

[tallulah]

Cancer can spread sometimes very quick. I have known numerous cancer patients with lung cancer that it had spread to the brain. There is really no right answer on how fast this can happen. Depends on the individual.