How do I take care of myself?
Bone metastasis can affect your quality of life, from dealing with symptoms like pain to coping with the realization that cancer is spreading. Here are some suggestions that may be helpful:
- Eat well: Bone metastasis may cause complications that affect your appetite. Talk to a nutritionist about healthy eating plans.
- Consider cancer survivorship programs: You’re a cancer survivor the day you receive a diagnosis, and you’re a survivor now as you deal with bone metastasis. There may be programs or support groups for people in your situation.
- Ask about palliative care: Often, bone pain is the first symptom of bone metastasis. Pain from bone metastasis can be severe and affect your quality of life. In palliative care, you’ll receive pain medication and other pain management support. Other palliative care services include psychological counseling to help you manage mental health issues that can develop when you have incurable cancer.
- Explore clinical trials: Researchers are evaluating new ways to treat bone metastasis in different kinds of cancer. Ask your healthcare provider about clinical trials that may be appropriate for you to consider.
Should I consider hospice care?
That depends on your situation. Your provider may recommend hospice care if continuing cancer treatment isn’t likely to result in a cure and they believe your life expectancy is six months or less once you stop treatment. Hospice care emphasizes your physical comfort, keeping you free of pain and managing other symptoms.
When should I see my healthcare provider?
Contact your provider if you have bone metastasis symptoms that are getting worse, like pain that you can’t control with medication as prescribed by your provider. It’s important to remember that you don’t need to live with the severe pain that bone metastasis can cause. Your provider will prescribe medication and other treatments that ease pain without affecting your quality of life, like your ability to interact with those you love.
When should I go to the emergency room?
Call 911 or go to the emergency room right away if you have symptoms of spinal cord compression like:
- Your legs, feet or lower belly feel tingly or numb.
- You have trouble moving your legs.
- You can’t control when you pee or poop.
- You can’t pee.
Spinal cord compression that isn’t treated may lead to paralysis.
What questions should I ask my healthcare provider?
A bone metastasis diagnosis can affect your quality of life at a time when you’re already dealing with cancer. Here are some suggestions for questions you may want to ask:
- Which bone or bones now have cancerous cells?
- What does having bone cancer mean in terms of my overall prognosis?
- What are the treatments or combinations of treatments that may help me?
- Will treatment keep bone metastasis from spreading to other bones?
- What are my options for managing bone pain?
- How do I reduce my risk of bone fractures?
FAQs
How long can you live with bone metastasis? Survival rates range from six to seven months to more than four years, and vary based on factors like: Cancer type: One analysis states the survival rate for lung cancer to bone is six to seven months, compared to 53 months for prostate cancer to bone.
What stage of cancer is bone metastases? ›
In summary: Low-grade, localized tumors are stage I. High-grade, localized tumors are stage II. Metastatic tumors (regardless of grade) are stage III.
Can you recover if cancer spreads to bones? ›
Bone metastasis may be the first sign that you have cancer, or bone metastasis may occur years after cancer treatment. Bone metastasis can cause pain and broken bones. With rare exceptions, cancer that has spread to the bones can't be cured. Treatments can help reduce pain and other symptoms of bone metastases.
Can chemo get rid of bone metastasis? ›
Chemotherapy. Chemotherapy may help shrink bone metastases and relieve symptoms such as pain. It may be an option if there are several areas of bone metastases and the cancer is likely to respond to chemotherapy. Chemotherapy is used to treat many types of metastatic cancer.
What causes death in metastatic bone cancer? ›
When cancer metastasizes, usually when it is considered stage 4 cancer, it spreads to a different part of the body. Metastasis can impair the function of essential organs and body systems (digestion, lungs, bones, liver, blood vessels), which can cause essential body functions to cease.
Is it painful when cancer spreads to bones? ›
Bone pain is often the first symptom of cancer that has spread to the bone. The pain may come and go at first. It tends to be worse at night and may get better with movement. Later on, it can become constant and may be worse during activity.
What is the most common cancer metastasis to bone? ›
The skeleton is the third most common site of metastatic disease after lung and liver. Most bone metastases originate from the breast, prostate or lung although kidney and thyroid tumors can metastasize to bone as well.
What are the symptoms of the final stages of bone cancer? ›
Symptoms may include: Pain and swelling: Persistent pain, often worsening at night or with activity , is a common symptom. Swelling may also occur at the site of the tumor. Fractures: Bones that become weakened by cancer can break more easily, sometimes with little or no trauma.
Is metastatic cancer considered terminal? ›
Some people can live for years with metastatic cancer that is well controlled. Other treatments may improve the quality of life by relieving symptoms. This type of care is called palliative care. It can be given at any point during treatment for cancer.
What is the difference between metastasis and metastases? ›
metastasis (one cancerous tumour) metastases (more than one cancerous tumour)
MBC may spread to the bones and cause pain and other symptoms. Although MBC may not vanish completely, a range of treatments can help manage the condition for a number of years, and many people can live long lives with MBC. The cancer may be active or go into remission.
What is the difference between bone cancer and bone metastases? ›
Cancer that starts in the bone is called primary bone cancer. There are different types of primary bone cancers, like osteosarcoma and Ewing sarcoma. A tumor that has metastasized to bone is not made of bone cells. Bone metastases are made up of abnormal cancer cells that started from the original (primary) tumor site.
What is the life expectancy of a bone metastasis patient? ›
Most patients with metastatic bone disease survive for 6-48 months. In general, patients with breast and prostate carcinoma live longer than those with lung carcinoma. Patients with renal cell or thyroid carcinoma have a variable life expectancy.
What is the latest treatment for bone metastases? ›
For people with multiple bone metastases, a form of radiation called radiopharmaceuticals can be given through a vein. Radiopharmaceuticals use low levels of a radioactive material that has a strong attraction to bones. Once in your body, the particles travel to the areas of bone metastasis and release their radiation.
What is the best pain relief for bone metastases? ›
People may be able to manage mild bone cancer pain with non-opioid medication, such as NSAIDs. For moderate to severe pain, opioids may be an effective treatment option. Radiotherapy is also one of the most effective methods for managing bone cancer pain and providing fast relief.
What are the final symptoms of bone cancer? ›
Symptoms of bone cancer
- pain.
- swelling.
- problems moving around.
- feeling tired.
- a high temperature (fever)
- a break in the bone (fracture)
- weight loss.
The skeleton is the third most common site of metastatic disease after lung and liver. Most bone metastases originate from the breast, prostate or lung although kidney and thyroid tumors can metastasize to bone as well.
Can bone cancer cause sudden death? ›
Bones: If cancer is in the bones, too much calcium may go into the bloodstream, which can cause unconsciousness and death. Bones with tumors may also break and not heal.
Is bone cancer the most painful cancer? ›
Bone cancer is one of the most painful cancers. Factors that drive bone cancer pain evolve and change with disease progression, according to Patrick Mantyh, PhD, symposium speaker and professor of pharmacology, University of Arizona.
