brain and lung cancer - Timescale for life expectancy for Cancer

	Asked by jackie (Male ) on Tue 08, Apr 2008 12:20pm :
	my 68 year old mother has just been diagnosed with a brain tumour, further tests have found a deposit on her lung.the symptoms we were worried about, which she has had for around 7 weeks are;loss of use in right hand, loss of use in right leg and slurring of speech. she is currently on the stroke unit whjre she is being given steroids and awaiting a visit from the chest specialist about further tests. our burning question is: is there a timescale for life expectancy for the cancers my mum has?
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	Answer by Dr Fernando, MD (oncologist) on Tue 08, Apr 2008 08:57pm: Hi. Reading your post, I have the impression that your mother's tumour originated from the lungs, with metastatic spread to the brain, and not vice versa. Tumors originating from the brain itself usually spread to contiguous structures, and do not usually metastasize to distant organs like the lungs. Lung cancer, on the other hand, has a propensity for spreading to the brain. If my hunch is correct and your mother has primary lung cancer, then spread to the brain means that it is at a very advanced stage (stage 4). At this point, any attempts at curing the disease will be very difficult. The most that we can realistically hope for would be to control the spread of the disease, avoid complications and extend her life. Patients with untreated lung cancer live for 8-12 months on the average, but with proper treatment a small number can survive up to five years. Your mother's survival will depend not only on the kind of medication she will receive, but also on how strong or fit her body is at the time of diagnosis. If her body is stronger, she will be able to withstand the rigors of treatment better, and have a later onset of complications from the disease. Thank you for using our service.  If you are satisfied with the answer or if you want a detailed answer for your question, please make a donation and request for further clarifications.  Our oncologists will provide an elaborate answer for your clarification.   Please make a donation by clicking the button below. You may donate using funds from your PayPal account or Credit Card. Please rate my answer (select the stars below, no need to log in.)
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