There are some articles discussing how lung cancer spread to bone life expectancy. A question related to life expectancy becomes a common question asked when someone is diagnosed with stage 4 cancer. As we know, stage 4 is the most advanced stage of a chronic disease called cancer. People are afraid of chronic illness. The most advanced stage of chronic disease, such as cancer, is when the cancer cell has spread to some other organs in your body. There will be a different survival rate from one person to the next. Some factors will influence the survival rate of stage 4 cancer. How about stage 4 lung cancer? If you suffer from lung cancer, and you’d like to know more about the survival rate, you’d better continue reading this article.
Symptoms of Stage 4 Lung Cancer
Early in this lung cancer, people with this cancer may not have symptoms. There are early, common symptoms of lung cancer, such as:
- Coughing up blood
- Shortness of breath
- wheezing
- Coughing, breathing, and laughing cause chest pain.
- breathing problems
- Worsening cough
- weakness
- fatigue
- Respiratory infections
- pneumonia
- Bronchitis
How about the symptoms of stage 4 lung cancer?
- There will be swollen lymph nodes.
- You will experience nervous system effects from stage 4 lung cancer that will cause headaches, dizziness, problems with balance, and also a weakness.
- You suffer from bone pain.
- You will experience yellowing skin and eyes because the cancer cells spread to the liver.
Bone Metastasis
When you experience cancer cells spread to the bone, it is called “lung cancer with bone metastasis.” It is common in people who have been diagnosed with cancer and are experiencing bone pain. Bone pain is related to the spread of cancer cells to the bone, and it is not curable. Bone metastasis is not curable, but you may get treatments to get a longer life expectancy and to feel better. Bone is commonplace for cancer to spread. The cancer cells may spread to the lungs and liver too. There are some common locations for bone metastasis, including:
- Ribs
- Hips
- Skull
- Spine
- Sternum
Characteristics of Stage 4 Lung Cancer
Before you know more about lung cancer spread to bone life expectancy, it is important to know about lung cancer characteristics, especially those of stage 4 lung cancer. The stage of lung cancer will be categorized into three conditions, such as:
- The primary tumor and the extent
- The cancer cells’ location near lymph nodes
- “The distant metastasis
Stage 4 lung cancer is divided into three types.
- Stage 4A lung cancer. At this stage, the cancer cell has spread to the lining around the lung, within the chest, the heart, or to the fluid around the heart and lungs.
- Lung cancer in Stage 4B. In this stage, the cancer cell has spread to the area outside the chest.
- Lung cancer in stage 4C. In this stage, the cancer cells have spread to multiple places, such as the adrenal gland, distant lymph nodes, brand, and liver.
There are common types of cancer that can spread to the bone, such as thyroid, melanoma, kidney, uterine, and gastrointestinal.
You need to know that stage 4 lung cancer is incurable and when you need to take treatment, it is used to slow the progress of the disease, minimize the symptoms, and also maintain the quality of cancer survivors.
Survival Rate Factors
The survival rate for stage 4 lung cancer survivors will be influenced by some factors. Here are seven factors that you must know about survival rates.
Age
The older you are, the weaker your immune system is too. Old age will influence the progress of this serious disease and also the survival rate. When you are under 50, you have a higher survival rate than people who are 60, 65, and older. For those who are under 50 years old, the survival rate is 11%. While for those who are over 65, the survival rate is only 4.7%.
Performance Status
The next factor in the survival rate for stage 4 lung cancer is performance status. Performance status is the ability of your body parts to function in the right way every day. If you are still active and you don’t find any problems with your body condition, you may have a higher survival rate.
Smoking Status
People who suffer from lung cancer will have a higher survival rate if they are heavy smokers. According to research, people who are heavy smokers will have poor performance status and will get heavy symptoms too. They have a lower survival rate than people who do not smoke every day. For those of you who are at stage 4 lung cancer, you should quit smoking. It is your personal decision, but it may help you to enjoy your day even if you have stage 4 lung cancer. It helps to reduce symptoms.
The location of cancer cells
The other factor that will influence your survival rate is the location of the cancer cell. The type of lung cancer that develops will depend on the aggressiveness of the cancer cells. Large cell lung carcinoma is the most common type of lung cancer and it is more aggressive than other types of lung cancer. It can develop in all locations in your body. Lung adenocarcinoma is the most common disease and it usually develops in the outer area of your lungs. Squamous cell lung carcinoma is lung cancer that can develop in the airways.
Comorbid
For those of you who suffer from this lingering cancer and who have a comorbidity, you will have a lower survival rate. Even if you only have one comorbid, it may have an impact on your life expectancy. Some common comorbidities occur in people with stage 4 lung cancer, such as congestive heart failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases, and also diabetes.
Genetic Mutation
People who suffer from stage 4 lung cancer will require treatment such as chemotherapy. It can have side effects, such as genetic mutation, on your body. People with genetic mutations because of drugs will have a lower life expectancy. Some common mutations occur in cancer survivors.
After you know some factors influence your survival rate, it is time for you to know that lung cancer spreads to bone life expectancy. The life expectancy for bone metastases will depend on the cancer type and also the stage. The type of treatment will have an impact on your survival rate.
- After bone metastasis, people with lung cancer have the lowest 1-year survival rate (11 percent).
- People who have breast cancer will have the highest 1-year survival rate after bone metastasis (52%).
- Having metastases in bone and also in other organs was found to decrease the survival rate.
You need to continue finding the right treatment, especially for those who suffer from lung cancer with bone metastases. There are some treatments that you must do. The treatments that you must take will depend on some factors, such as:
- The bone’s parts
- The entire body part
- The cancer treatments come before
- The stage of lung cancer
- Main cancer you have
The treatments and therapies that you must take to increase life expectancy and survival rate include:
- Radiation
It is a treatment to slow metastasis growth and, at the same time, it can reduce pain.
- Chemotherapy
It is known as a treatment to kill cancer cells and reduce tumor size.
- Hormone Therapy
This treatment is used to reduce the hormone that stimulates the prostate and breast cancer.
- Steroid and painkiller treatment
This treatment is to reduce pain.
- Drugs
The use of drugs is to reduce pain in the target bones.
- Surgery
Surgery is used to deal with pain, fix a break and stabilize your bone.
- Physical therapy
This treatment is to strengthen the muscles, and it helps you with mobility.
- Extreme Heat and Cold Treatment
This treatment is to relieve pain in the bone and to cool and heat the cancer cells.
The bone-targeting drugs that are usually used and divided into some types, including:
- Denosumab drug treatment. It is a human antibody to prevent bone deterioration and bone loss.
- Bisphosphonate drug treatment. They are bone-building drugs, and they are similar to those used in osteoporosis. This drug treatment is used to strengthen bones and reduce the pain of metastases.
- Trastuzumab drug treatment for breast cancer cells
- treatment with bortezomib. This treatment will inhibit the proteasomes that break down proteins. This treatment is also used for people who suffer from and need treatment for multiple myeloma and other cancers.
- Drug treatment with radioactive elements is done by injecting drugs into your veins. This treatment will find and kill cancer cells in your bones.
The major purpose of all treatments for lung cancer is to slow down the growth of cancer cells, especially in the bones. Unfortunately, most cancer treatments have side effects. That is why you need to consult with your doctor first. You can discuss the risk of treatments for your body. The development of drug treatment is fast. Some effective drugs will give you fewer side effects. It is better for you if you like to enjoy your life without suffering from pain. There is no guarantee that treatment will help you. As it is said above, for those of you who suffer from stage 4 lung cancer, the treatment you receive is used to slow the progress of cancer cells, not to cure your cancer. According to research, more than 340,000 people are living with lung cancer bone metastases in the US today. They connect with a support group online. The support group online will give you some benefits, such as:
- Be positive in mind
- Doing some fun activities to avoid overthinking your condition
- I will support you when you are in a bad mood because of your symptoms.
- It gives you motivation when you do treatment to reduce your pain.
- Discuss more lung cancer and how to deal with your symptoms.
- Share session to give support to lung cancer survivors.
If you are a lung cancer survivor and you also have bone metastasis, you can do some of the treatments above. It will reduce pain and bone fractures. The right treatment will improve the quality of your life. You can consult with the doctor and contact the support center near your home to get better information about the best treatment for your cancer. You can get more benefits from your treatment when you do a healthy lifestyle. Stop smoking will be good to support your treatment. You may read more about lung cancer spread to bone life expectancy in some sources.
