Brain metastases can form
Lung cancerthat spreads (metastasizes) often goes to the brain (brain metastases).
People with lung cancer and brain metastases often have questions about what it means for their life expectancy.
How Does Lung Cancer Spread to the Brain?
Illustration by Brianna Gilmartin, Verywell
Lung cancer spreading to the brain is fairly common.
About 20% to 40% of patients with non-small cell lung cancer have brain metastases.
Brain metastases occur instage 4lung cancer.
Once NSCLC is this advanced, life expectancy is usually under a year.
Brain Metastases vs.
The termbrain canceris only used for tumors that start in the brain.
Lung Cancer Brain Metastases Symptoms
Small cell lung canceris often hard to diagnose in the early stages.
It may spread to the brain before a lung cancer diagnosis is even made.
These symptoms are often worse when first waking up in the morning.
Leptomeningeal Metastases
Leptomeningeal metastases(leptomeningeal carcinomatosis) are usually late complications ofadvanced lung cancer.
Providers are seeing this condition more often as people with lung cancer live longer.
The cancer cells thrive in this nutrient- and oxygen-rich fluid.
Leptomeningeal metastases are usually linked to many neurological symptoms.
It is a terminal stage of cancer with an average survival rate of six to eight weeks.
Treatment
Treatments for brain metastases are not considered cures.
The methods that are used are usually determined by what would be best to help with your symptoms.
Like chemotherapy, these drugs control the primary tumor and limit its ability to spread further.
Immunotherapy
Someimmunotherapydrugs are able to cross the blood-brain barrier.
It can also be used after surgery to limit the spread of cancer.
With this treatment, the entire brain gets radiationusually over the course of many weeks.
Radiation oncologists often recommend medication to help with symptoms during treatment.
Since the radiation is targeted, the side effects are typically less severe.
The treatment also tends to offer better survival rates than whole-brain therapy.
When SRS is used to treat body tumors, it is called stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT).
Whole-brain radiation typically follows surgery.
Small-cell tumors are more responsive to radiotherapy alone, so surgery is more often used to remove NSCLC cells.
However, these survival rates can be better for some people thanks to earlier diagnoses and more treatments.
Palliative care can offer relief and reduce the stress of having a terminal diagnosis.
Summary
When lung cancer spreads (metastasis) its common for it to go to the brain.
If you have lung cancer, you should know the signs of brain metastases.
You may have treatment options that could help prevent the spread and help with your symptoms.
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