] Re: Newman to share cancer fight with viewers | PerthNow

[Guest guest]

Terry,

Jim Fulks had lung mets and then

eventually he also had brain mets. He was very very supportive of me because

his disease was so similar to Bill’s. It is not as uncommon as people may

think.

institute of Pathology

and Urologic Clinics, University of

Basel, Switzerland.

The prognosis of prostate cancer is mainly determined by the presence

or absence of metastases. Nevertheless, the metastatic pathways in prostate

cancer are not entirely understood. Among 19,316 routine autopsies performed

from 1967 to 1995 on men older than 40 years of age, the reports from those

1,589 (8.2%) with prostate cancer were analyzed. Hematogeneous metastases were

present in 35% of 1,589 patients with prostate cancer, with most frequent

involvement being bone (90%), lung (46%), liver (25%), pleura (21%), and

adrenals (13%). Several lines of evidence suggested the existence of a backward

metastatic pathway through veins from the prostate to the spine in addition to

classical hematogeneous tumor spread via the vena cava. First, there was an

inverse relationship between spine and lung metastases, suggesting that metastasis

to the spine is independent of lung metastasis. Second, the maximum frequency

of spine involvement occurred in smaller tumors (4 to 6 cm) as compared with

the maximum spread to lung (6 to 8 cm) and liver (>8 cm), suggesting that

spine metastases precede lung and liver metastases in many prostate cancers.

Third, there was a gradual decrease in spine involvement from the lumbar to the

cervical level (97% v 38%), which is consistent with a subsequent upward

metastatic spread along spinal veins after initial lumbar metastasis. The

results of this study show that bone, lung, and liver are the most frequent

sites of distant prostate cancer metastases. Besides the cava-type of

metastasis through lung passage, there are strong arguments for the existence

and clinical significance of a backward venous spread to the spine, which is

likely to occur early in the metastatic process.

PMID:

10836297 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

And

Several prognostic factors such as the extent of bone

metastases (EOD) in advanced prostate cancer (PCa) have been reported.

Metastasis of the lung is rarely a significant clinical factor in the

management of prostate cancer. The present study evaluates the clinical

significance of lung metastases. We retrospectively reviewed the PCa database

to identify patients with pulmonary metastases at initial diagnosis. The

medical records of the patients were examined with respect to age, histologic

grade, EOD score, marker response to endocrine therapy and clinical outcome. We

then compared several potential clinical factors between patients with and

without pulmonary metastases. Next, we retrospectively reviewed autopsy records

of 60 Japanese patients who died of hormone-refractory metastatic PCa with

particular focus upon metastatic profiles. A comparative study of stage D2

patients with (n=20) and without

(n=77) pulmonary metastases found

no significant differences in EOD score, performance status, marker response

and survival. Only tumor grade was better in the group with, than without

pulmonary metastases (P=0.0120,

chi-square analysis). In the series of autopsies, we found pulmonary metastases

in 38 cases (63%), following metastases of the bone (57 cases, 95%) and lymph

nodes (52 cases, 87%). A retrospective analysis of survival showed that

patients with bone or lymph node metastases had a positive relative risk. In

contrast, lung metastasis could be a positive prognostic indicator, although

the findings were not statistically significant. These data suggest that the

presence of pulmonary metastasis has no ominous impact on clinical course and

disease outcome even in patients with disseminated prostate cancer.

Prostate Cancer and Prostatic Diseases

(2002) 5, 159-163. doi:10.1038/sj.pcan.4500573

It

is probably often under diagnosed. Bill’s tumor was found by accident. He

was complaining of allergies and they did an xray of his lung and found it.

Kathy

From: ProstateCancerSupport [mailto:ProstateCancerSupport ] On Behalf Of Terry

Herbert

Sent: Saturday, March 08, 2008

10:30 PM

To: ProstateCancerSupport

Subject:

Re: Newman to share cancer fight with viewers | PerthNow

Snip

...... I have cancer

of the prostate ... and there is a real fear that it may have spread

further, maybe to my bones or my lungs... <snip> The lungs? Is that a

common xdestination for PCa. Not to my knowledge.

Terry Herbert

>

> http://www.news.com.au/perthnow/story/0,21598,23341805-948,00.html

>

> In Australia PCa journey to be a TV show.

>

> Kathy

>