Metastatic Bone Disease Prognosis

Cancer can often be a deadly disease for which medical science has not yet found a cure. If not caught early, it can spread to other areas of the body. One of the most painful areas of cancer invasion for those suffering from the disease is the skeletal system. Metastatic bone disease is a form of cancer that can adversely affect a patient's quality of life and mobility.

About Metastic Bone Disease

• When a patient is diagnosed with metastatic bone disease, the particular form of cancer has spread from the originating organ and invaded bone in a certain area of the body. The skeleton is one of three areas of the body that has the greatest chance of a cancer spreading into it, along with the liver and the lungs. It is a disease that is diagnosed in about half of the approximately 1.2 million new cancer cases documented each year. Metastatic bone disease can result from any type of cancer, but it is more predominate in organ cancers like the thyroid, kidneys, lungs, breasts and prostate.

Diagnosis of Metastatic Bone Disease

• According to a December 15, 2004, issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology, in the majority of cases, metastatic bone disease is not curable. Oncologists refer to metastatic bone disease in patients as being palliative, meaning early and ongoing treatment of the cancer invasion can greatly reduce the patient's pain, prevent more bone from being destroyed and improve the patient's quality of life.

Cancer Weakens Skeletal System

• Metastatic bone disease can significantly weaken the patient's bones and put them at high risk for painful breaks and fractures. Often, surgery is required at this point. Physicians who determine a patient is at risk for a break may be put on bed rest. Some patients who have developed metastatic bone disease in the spine area have suffered from nerve damage, which can, in some cases, lead to permanent paralysis. While metastatic bone disease can commonly destroy the bone it has invaded (a condition called osteolytic), in certain cancer cases, patients diagnosed with metastatic bone disease have actually seen new bone growth, a condition known as osteblastic. This occurs most commonly when the cancer has metastasized from the stomach, prostate or bladder.

Symptoms of Metastic Bone Disease

• While some cancers often show no signs until the later stages of the disease, as is the case with lung cancer, metastatic bone disease will begin displaying symptoms at a very early stage. Those symptoms can be excruciating and often debilitating for those suffering from the disease, as it generally effects their mobility and comfort. Metastatic bone disease most often exhibits symptoms of severe pain in the spine, pelvis, upper arm or long bone area.

Treatment and Pain Control

• Treatment for metastatic bone disease is facilitated by several different physicians and may include a medical oncologist who specializes in metastatic bone disease, a radiation oncologist and an orthopedic doctor or bone specialist. Depending on the level of pain the patient is in and the general condition of the affected bone area, treatment for metastatic bone disease can involved pain medication, radiation treatments or a more advanced approach using radio frequency treatments.