I have a relative with breast cancer and now she fears that it has spread to her brain. She just finished chemo in June of this year. Is it possible? She has been feeling extremely unbalanced lately and weak in her right arm and leg.
Cancer - 4 Answers
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1 :
you say that she is feeling week in her right arm and leg hunny thats not form brain cancer thats from the chemo treatments thats not a sign of brain cancer it sounds like your kinda explainin a stroke but im sure that its just side affects of chemo
2 :
Metastasis is the process of the tumors 'seeding' microscopic malignant cells into the blood stream and/or lymphatic system. Once metastasis occurs than the malignant cells can travel anywhere in the body that blood goes. Systemic chemotherapy is used to try and stop the metastasis from growing new tumors in these distant locations. However, there is a problem with many type of systemic chemo when it comes to the brain. There is a blood-brain barrier that prevents many chemo drugs from entering the brain. So, it may be possible that your relative had a metastasis go to her brain and the chemotherapy she was using could not cross the blood brain barrier. My son has advanced cancer and when we were confronted with the possibility that his disease could travel to the brain, we found two chemo drugs that did cross that brain blood barrier . . Temozolimide and Irinotecan. Worked also to keep his sarcoma minimal and under control for a year. Your relative needs to call her doctor and schedule an imaging test (CT or PET) to see what is going on.
3 :
Unfortunately, that could be a sign of spread to the brain. How fast it spreads (if it does spread) depends on many things like what stage it was diagnosed at, cell type, biological markers, etc. Tell her to express her concerns to her doctor right away. It may just be some left over side effects from the chemo, but the only way to be sure is to check with the oncologist. They will be able to order whatever tests are necessary.
4 :
She should go talk to her oncologist. It differs in everyone.
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