If someone has 2 types of cancer at the same time, is it harder to heal? Are the!
Question: Can they heal one but not the other?
Any information would be appreciated. I'm talking about a woman with breast and lung cancer.
Answers: Can they heal one but not the other?
Any information would be appreciated. I'm talking about a woman with breast and lung cancer.
While I was writing, another doctor has given a good explanation. I am also a cancer specialist doctor.
My answer just adds a few bits to the above.
Quite often this is a situation in which the breast cancer has spread to the lungs so it is not two cancers but the same type of cancer in two areas. If you do mean a primary breast cancer and a primary lung cancer, it would depend on the stages of each. Most early breast cancers are cured with lumpectomy, radiation, and possibly adjuvant chemotherapy. Primary lung cancer is not so often cured with surgery and radiation, but a minority can be cured if caught very early.
Let's focus on the more likely reason for your question. Someone you care about has breast cancer and now something is showing up in the lungs. Is it one tumor or several in the lungs? If there is more than one tumor mass showing up in the lungs, it is very likely to be the same breast cancer "metastatic" or spread to the lungs. That situation carries a limited prognosis since cures for metastatic breast cancer are few. But - - metastatic breast cancer may be controlled for some time if it responds to systemic therapies such as hormonal treatments and / or chemotherapy.
People often have difficulty understanding that breast cancer which has spread to another place is still cancerous breast tissue - - it may respond to hormonal treatments. When breast cancer goes to the bones, it is still breast cancer in the bones - not "bone cancer." I hope this helps you to understand, and we hope your loved one or friend has a good outcome.
Having two simultaneous but separate cancers is not common, but happens. Prognosis depends on each individual cancer and its stage. Far more common would be for one cancer to spread to the other site. In your instance, breast cancer could spread (metastasize) to the lungs, or conversely lung cancer can spread to the breast. It is possible to cure one, not the other; also possible to be able to cure both or neither as well. Most important thing here is to make sure no assumptions are being made--one needs to be sure that there are either two separate cancers or one has spread to the other site; this would usually require biopsy of both sites if there are truly only one "spot" in each location. Hope that helps.
I am not an expert by any means, but I have had experience with both forms of cancers- although not myself. Having both would greatly impact your bodies healing properties. Lung cancer is a much harder form of cancer to beat or "heal" than breast and that one in itself is hard as well. Your bodies defense system would not only be attacking one but both and it would make it that much harder. Introduce drugs- radiation and chemo and it gets even worse. There are always success stories, and hope
It would be very hard to heal from both, chances would be greatly reduced.
Okay first off I'm sorry to hear about what the person is going through and I'm sure it must be having an impact on you. Okay now I am no expert by any strecth of the imagination but I would guess that it would depend on how healthy the she is, how old she is, her blood cell count, and on the type of doctor who is treating her as well. But the person should hold out hope as there are always some sort of new treatments out on the market. I wish the best for her and everybody involved and hopefully everything turns out for the better. Keep the faith and pray alot as well.
i am not an oncologist but,it is not common for 2 cancers to be active at once.sorry to sound so cruel but a breast and a lung can be removed and she can live as a normal person.
i am so sorry that this has happened to someone you know.this is one of the worst conditions to occur.......have faith and continue to pray for a miraculous recovery,i will keep you in my thoughts and prayers.i pray there is a speedy recovery.