#10: Chapter 6A: What I did: Bone Metastases

Cancer is typed and treated by its origin, regardless of where it travels to. Western medicine’s ‘standard of care’ (SOC) is determined by that origin. In my case, primary breast cancer metastasized to bones, lungs, liver, lymph and eventually brain. My bone metastases were in every vertebrae, my pelvis, and my scapula (Seriously? Who gets cancer in their scapula?). My treatment plan reflected that and differed from someone whose cancer had begun in their lungs and traveled. So, one’s lung cancer brain metastases will be treated differently than another’s breast cancer brain metastases. That being said, there are some principles that apply in any case.

Bone metastases

Any type of cancer that metastasizes via the bloodstream can infiltrate the bone marrow. The probability for bone metastases is higher in breast, prostate, and lung cancers than other. Bone metastases are detected with SPECT (bone scan), CT, and MRI scans and metabolic cancerous activity may be seen in PET scans. When cancer moves into bone, it weakens it and it can be very painful. The sponginess of bones also makes an excellent hiding place for cancer to hibernate during remission. Cancer displaces bone marrow, making things worse. Bone marrow is an essential part of our immune system as it makes platelets and red and white blood cells… critical ingredients in fighting disease and infection. It also helps heal the gut lining and regulate insulin. Chemo and radiation destroy bone marrow so restoring bone marrow is critical to healing.