Generalized cancer: what are the treatments?

What is generalized cancer?

A little vocabulary point. In medical language, we do not speak of "generalized cancer": we rather speak of "metastatic cancer".

Metastatic cancer: what does it mean exactly? “ We say that cancer becomes metastatic when there are metastases in the body, that is to say, cancer cells that have acquired the ability to leave the organ affected by primary cancer (breast, prostate, liver, bone cancer, etc. and enter the bloodstream to settle in another organ, another part of the body "explains Dr. Jérôme Fayette, an oncologist specializing in cancers thoracic.

Where will the metastases lodge? " It depends on primary cancer " replies Dr. Jérôme Fayette. Some cancers are thus known to "make" metastases in certain organs and certain locations:

• Prostate cancer and breast cancer tend to lead to bone metastases,
• Colon cancer and rectal cancer give in particular hepatic metastases (in the liver, therefore),
• Lung cancer has the specificity of being able to lead to the development of adrenal metastases (at the level of the adrenal glands, therefore). It can also cause bone, brain, and/or liver metastases.

Warning! " There is nothing systematic, warns Dr. Fayette. Metastases can appear anywhere in the body (bones, lungs, liver, etc.), although certain locations are known. "

Metastases: are they inevitable? " In the majority of cases, cancer that is allowed to evolve gives metastases, except in the specific case of throat cancer which tends to remain at the loco-regional level " affirms the oncologist.

Generalized cancer (metastatic cancer): what are the symptoms?

Metastatic cancer: are there risk factors? “ There are no environmental risk factors, answers Dr. Jérôme Fayette. However, it is believed that the larger the cancerous tumor, the greater the risk of metastasis – but this is not always the case. In contrast, the earlier the cancer is diagnosed, the lower the risk of metastasis – thanks to the treatments. ”

The symptoms of metastatic cancer depend on the location of the metastases: thus, in the event of bone metastases (in a context of breast cancer or prostate cancer, for example), one can observe bone pain, in particular at the level of the back (spine) and hypercalcemia (i.e. abnormally high levels of calcium in the blood).

" Hepatic metastases do not produce specific symptoms, adds Dr. Fayette. We can see an alteration in general condition, with intense fatigue, loss of appetite, diffuse pain... " Brain metastases, in turn, can give rise to neurological symptoms.

Generalized cancer (metastatic cancer): are there treatments?

Initially, an imaging assessment will be carried out in order to precisely visualize the metastases: " in the event of metastatic lung cancer, for example, we will do a cerebral MRI, a thoracoabdominal-pelvic scanner and a PET-scan in order to to have a global overview of the body and to identify as many metastases as possible "develops the oncologist.

Can metastatic cancer be cured? Unfortunately, to date, metastatic cancer cannot be cured permanently. " However, a diagnosis of metastatic cancer should not be interpreted as an imminent death sentence! Dr. Jérôme Fayette reassures us. This simply means that the disease becomes chronic and that the patient will now have to live with it: gold, it is possible to live a long time with metastatic cancer. ”

Treatments for metastatic cancer are mainly palliative which means that the disease cannot be cured permanently. “ Clearly, they are used to improve the quality of life and the general condition of the patient, often completely and for periods that can belong several years, ” explains the specialist. Systemic treatments ( chemotherapy and immunotherapy ) can be put in place to eliminate metastases: " for bone metastases, we use radiotherapy " adds the doctor. In addition, it is possible to remove liver metastases by surgery. " Without forgetting the techniques of local destruction," concludes Dr. Fayette.