Lets say someone goes to the doctor: The doctor sees tumors in the lungs and in the liver. Why does the doctor know that its liver cancer that spread to the lungs and not lung cancer that spread to the liver?
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(Radiation oncologist) :
A primitive lung tumor does not radiologically look the same as a secondary lung tumor (i.e. metastasis). Generally, a primitive lung cancer is spiculated, Vs a more round shape for the metastasis.
The definitive answer is provided, as said earlier, with the biopsy of tumor tissue (which keeps the properties of the original tumor)
(Radiation oncologist) :
A primitive lung tumor does not radiologically look the same as a secondary lung tumor (i.e. metastasis). Generally, a primitive lung cancer is spiculated, Vs a more round shape for the metastasis.
The definitive answer is provided, as said earlier, with the biopsy of tumor tissue (which keeps the properties of the original tumor)
tumor cells that have undergone methastasis will retain some features of the original cell they diverged from.
thru a biopsy of the tumor that is then studied by a specialist they can determine, using your example, that the lung cells you took from the tumor display features associated with liver cells; result: the cancer originated in the liver and migrated there.
tumor cells that have undergone methastasis will retain some features of the original cell they diverged from.
thru a biopsy of the tumor that is then studied by a specialist they can determine, using your example, that the lung cells you took from the tumor display features associated with liver cells; result: the cancer originated in the liver and migrated there.
Breast cancer that metastasizes to bones or brain is still breast cancer. My doctor told me. If that makes any sense!
Breast cancer that metastasizes to bones or brain is still breast cancer. My doctor told me. If that makes any sense!
They take out a little bit of the tumour. The cancer cells tend to look like bad versions of where they came from. So a liver cancer cell will look like a bad liver cell, even if it’s somewhere else.
They take out a little bit of the tumour. The cancer cells tend to look like bad versions of where they came from. So a liver cancer cell will look like a bad liver cell, even if it’s somewhere else.
They would have to biopsy both locations because 1)a person can have multiple cancers at the same time and 2)the body can sometimes have misplaced organ tissue in seemingly random locations.
I discovered this when my best friend was finally diagnosed. He became partially paralyzed when one of his vertebrae basically crumbled. When they did a CT scan they found he was riddled with cancer. The cancer that had eaten through his spine was actually *germ-cell cancer* aka testicular cancer… even though there was no cancer in his actual testes. They removed what they could when they stabilized his spine.
The cancer in his colon was extensive so they biopsied that and it actually was colon cancer, but that introduced the question of whether the remaining lesions were germ-cell, colon, or perhaps yet another type of cancer.
It was important to find out because the treatments are *very* different. Colon cancer grows quite slowly, but is extremely difficult to treat. Conversely, germ-cell cancer is very treatable, but grows like a wild fire.
Due to what I (and the oncologist) felt were unconscionable delays in the lab, the germ-cell cancer (which should have been easily eradicated) proliferated like a nuclear reaction and killed him before we found the answer to that question.
They would have to biopsy both locations because 1)a person can have multiple cancers at the same time and 2)the body can sometimes have misplaced organ tissue in seemingly random locations.
I discovered this when my best friend was finally diagnosed. He became partially paralyzed when one of his vertebrae basically crumbled. When they did a CT scan they found he was riddled with cancer. The cancer that had eaten through his spine was actually *germ-cell cancer* aka testicular cancer… even though there was no cancer in his actual testes. They removed what they could when they stabilized his spine.
The cancer in his colon was extensive so they biopsied that and it actually was colon cancer, but that introduced the question of whether the remaining lesions were germ-cell, colon, or perhaps yet another type of cancer.
It was important to find out because the treatments are *very* different. Colon cancer grows quite slowly, but is extremely difficult to treat. Conversely, germ-cell cancer is very treatable, but grows like a wild fire.
Due to what I (and the oncologist) felt were unconscionable delays in the lab, the germ-cell cancer (which should have been easily eradicated) proliferated like a nuclear reaction and killed him before we found the answer to that question.
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