As some of you know, 5 years ago I was diagnosed with breast cancer. I had a mastectomy followed by two rounds of chemo and radiation. About a year ago my doctor told me it had spread to my bones. (pelvis and spine). A few months ago they found it in my liver, and this week I was told it is now in my pancreas. I am starting radiation tommorrow to ease the back pain, but I am very concerned about the spread to my pancreas. When I tried to find some web sites on it, they only taked about pancreatic cancer, not breast cancer that had spread to the pancreas. I found that most people with pancreatic cancer die within 1 year, and I am trying to find out out if those statistics hold true to breast cancer that has spread there. By the way, I was on tamoxafin for almost 5 years and now I am taking femara. I am also having IV treatments of zometa every 4 weeks to try to strenthen my bones. PLease, if anybody can tell me what I can expect, please do, or if anyone has found a web site I would really appreciate it. Thanks everyone.

Sandy,

The life expectancy from pancreatic mets is very dependant on the part of the pancreas involved.

It is definitely not the same thing as pancreatic cancer. Basically, the cancer cells that were found in your pancreas are most likely breast cancer cells.

I tried to do some research for you on the American Cancer Society website, but since I don't know the specifics of your illness, I will just give you the link. You'll have to sign up.

http://www.cancer.org/docroot/ETO/ETO_1_1a.asp

A very important point to remember though, those length of survival studies are very generalized, and averages. They do not dictate how long you will live. Each person is different. I have known people who lived years longer than expected, and others who gave up with the cancer diagnosis and didn't live nearly as long as expected.

Thank-you Shelster, that makes me feel much more at ease. The cells are breast cancer cells, but I don't know what part of the pancreas is involved. I have tried to live with the attitude that I may have cancer, but cancer does not have me, but this one kind of threw me.

Sandy

Email me, if you want to talk more ok?

You are in my prayers

First of all Sandy - heartfelt prayers go out to you. May God give you the strength to accept and deal with this illness.

Secondly, and I don't mean to be dumb, but why is breast cancer that has spread to the pancreas (or other areas) not the same as pancreatic cancer? I know that cancer cells become detached and spread throughout the body but I didn't know that they were specialized. Isn't cancer, just that- cancer? And the cancer is named after the body organ they are growing in? That's what I've always read. I thought the only types of cancers were based on the type of cell such as squamous, glandular and transitional...

And as I continue to think out loud...I just encountered this info:
"When cancer spreads from its original place to another part of the body, the new tumor has the same kind of abnormal cells and the same name as the primary tumor. For example, if cancer of the pancreas spreads to the liver, the cancer cells in the liver are pancreatic cancer cells. The disease is metastatic pancreatic cancer, not liver cancer. It is treated as pancreatic cancer, not liver cancer." so obviously I was wrong but I still need someone to explain this to me

Georgia, Thank you so much for your prayers. They mean so much to me. You are on the right track. I talked to my oncology nurse today, while I was waiting for my radiation treatment. She assured me that pancreatic cancer has a much worse prognosis than metastasis from breast cancer in the pancreas. I knew that cancer of the pancreas usually will takwe a person within a year. Hopefully I will have more than that left. Of course I have already survived 5 years since my diagnosis. Breast cancer is breast cancer no matter where it goes, and would be treated as such. The fact that it is spreading to so many places is not good at all, but better than pancreatic cancer would be.

Each cancer cell is different and specific to the area it is primarily found in. For example, a breast cancer cell ( and there are a few different types) is different than a pancreatic cancer cell.

For example (just because I am more familiar with the different names in lung cancer), there is small cell lung cancer, and non small cell lung cancer.

Each of those types are treated differently (small cell is rarely treated surgically, but more with radiation and chemo...non small cell lung cancer is often surgically removed). Then, you can have small cell lung cancer that metastasizes to the liver, etc. That is called "Small cell lung cancer with liver mets".

It is really complicated, but I am glad you have an oncology nurse who will discuss it with you. If you check into things, you may have a nurse specialist or case manager who would be able to answer alot of these types of questions. Even better would be a physician's assitant. They are very helpful on my unit, in talking with patients and families.

My head is spinning Shel! Thanks for trying to explain it to me but I am just not getting it. You mean to tell me that - for example - breast cancer that spreads to the brain is not the same as Brain Cancer which will kill you within months to a year? I'm just not getting it. In both cases the brain is being affected by cancer cells...

Ok, think of it this way.

Cancer A (breast cancer) is a certain type of cell. When cancer A gets growing and has no hurdles it begins to invade other places.

Now, when cancer A gets ot the pancreas, it doesn't 'change' to cancer B, it is still cancer A, but in place B.

Ok, so it is A cells in a new place, but still the same cells.

Pancreatic, or cancer B is different cells, different treatment, different chemicals to kill it than cancer A.

SO....

Cancer A is breast cancer, with metastasis to the pancreas.

Does that make more sense?

It makes sense if you think of Cancer coming in different forms....that's where I have the hangup. I thought the only differentiation was in the type of cell affected (squamous, muscle, blood, etc). Once that particular cell was cancerous I figured it was the same regardless which organ was affected. Thanks for trying to educate me.

I am so sorry about your illness Sandy, and I'll keep you in my prayers.

Sandy, so sorry to hear about your cancer, I have looked on this website http://www.ukselfhelp.info/ and they have lots of info on different cancers. It is UK but you may find some help.
You are in my thoughts
Februarycat

My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family Sandy.

While I am no doctor, it is my understanding that cancer is an abnormal cell that divides. These cancer cells keep dividing and multiplying until the entire organ is cancerous. The cancer can spread to other areas making it harder to treat. This is why early detection is so important. If breast cancer spreads to another area then it is still called breast cancer. It has just "spread" to another area. It will always be called the original cancer. If I have cervical cancer and it spreads to my ovaries, I do not have cervical cancer AND ovarian cancer. While "technically" both areas now are cancerous, I would have cervical cancer- which spread to my ovaries.

There are some things that cancer can not do.


What Cancer Cannot Do

Cancer is so limited.
It cannot cripple love.
It cannot shatter hope.
It cannot corrode faith.
It cannot eat away peace.
It cannot destroy confidence.
It cannot kill friendship.
It cannot shut out memories.
It cannot silence courage.
It cannot invade the soul.
It cannot reduce eternal life.
It cannot quench the spirit.

~Author Unknown~