09 May 2022, Monday

Bone Metastases from Breast Cancer

Overview

Bone Metastases from Breast Cancer occur when cancer originating from the breast tissue has spread to the bones. Breast cancer is very common in females, but it can also affect males.

Bone metastases are also called ‘bone mets’, which occur in nearly 70% of women with metastatic breast cancer, signifying that cancer has returned. Bone metastases can happen before even knowing that you have breast cancer. It can be treated but can’t be cured fully.

Also, the diagnosis of it can be concerning as well as you can face some side effects of the medicines. Sometimes metastatic cancer in the bones can be fatal. However, some people continue their life after the diagnosis as well.

Symptoms

All pains and aches are not cancer. But it would be best if you were very careful when some of the symptoms discussed below are seen.

1. Bone pain

Bone pain is the first and most common symptom of bone metastases. At first, the pain can come and go, but it can be worst at night. Later, it may become worse while physical activity. It can become constant as well. If the pain occurs due to cancer, then your bone can become weak and enhance the risk of bone fracture. This can be treated if found early.

2. Broken bones

Bone metastases generally eat away the areas of bones which can cause weak and unstable bones and make them more likely to get fractured. A fracture can happen during your everyday activities. So, if you are facing severe pain in the bones, it can be a sign of bone fracture.

3. Compression of spinal cord

When cancer spreads to the bones of your spine, it squeezes your spinal cord. It can cause different types of symptoms like:

• weakness in the legs
• constipation
• numbness in the legs and belly
• difficulty in urinating

So, if you have any of those, consult with your cancer doctor, as it may lead to serious complications such as paralysis.

4. Loss of appetite and extreme thirst

These are the signs that you have a high calcium level in your blood, which causes ACS. It can happen due to bone metastases that release calcium into your bloodstream. If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, consult with medical experts. If it is left untreated, it can lead to a coma.

Causes

Bone metastases generally occur when the cancer cells break away from the original tumour and spread to your bones. When this happens due to breast cancer, this causes the tumour cells grow that disruptive form structures in the bones; when new bone tissues replace the old bone tissues to keep our body strong, bone remodelling.

Bone Metastases affect the process of bone remodelling. When cancer develops in the bones can be osteolytic, which means it reduces the bone tissue. It can cause an overproduction of bone.

Risk Factors

Breast cancer cells in the bone will speed up breaking down the normal bone tissue, which weakens the bones. The cancer cells can also overstimulate new bone production, leading to large and rigid growths called osteoblastic metastases.

Once the cancer cells have reached the bones, it provides fertile ground to grow the cancer cells. It happens as bones have the areas of constant cell turnover and growth. Somehow cancelled cells release some substances which cause faster cancer growth.

These cancer cells always attach to bones more than other substances in our body. Cancer cells may go anywhere, but they usually go to the bones along with the greatest blood supply, which includes bones in the:

• Pelvis
• Upper arms
• Spine
• Thighs
• Ribs

Diagnosis

The diagnosis of bone metastases includes blood tests to know if your blood has alkaline phosphatase or calcium. Either of them can be elevated in bone metastases. But an alone blood test cannot confirm metastatic breast cancer in the bones.

Often, an x-ray can tell whether you have bone metastases or not. But sometimes, the doctor has also asked for more tests to look for the signs that cancer has gone to the bones. Those other tests include:

1. Bone scan

It is a nuclear medicine test. Before doing the scan, doctors usually inject a small amount of radioactive substance into your vein. They do it as cancer will show up as dark areas on the scan after this.

2. CT (Computerized Tomography) Scan

A CT scan combines computer technology and x-ray, which provide cross-sectional images. It generally highlights the inside picture of the areas of bones.

3. MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) Scan

Here, it uses a magnetic field and radio waves to see detailed pictures of the specific bone.

4. PET (Positron Emission Tomography) Scan

It is also a nuclear test. Here, radioactive tracers are used, allowing cancer cells to appear on the scan as bright spots.

5. Biopsy

Doctors sometimes do bone biopsies to get more cancer information. Metastatic cancer in the bones might have different characteristics. So, this test will help doctors determine which treatment will be effective for the patient.