Or can Kidney cancer spread to the ovaries?
Here's the situation. My mother had a CT scan last week and it showed a tumor in one kidney, a cyst in the other kidney and a tumor in one ovary. No indication of exactly what the tumors are, just that they are there. She has a couple appointments this week (one with a urologist and one with a gynocologist) and I guess I'm just trying to prepare myself for worst/best possible synerios.
I've researched online both of the diseases and haven't found anything referenecing ovarian cancer spreading to the kidneys or anything referenicing kidney cancer spreading to the ovaries.
I'm hoping, best case scenerio, that all are benign and she may have to have a couple surgeriers to remove the tumors . But, I also feel I should prepare for the worst so if it is really bad, I don't have a total break down when I will need to help her.
Anyone have any insight? Don't be afraid to reply if you think this is not going to have a good outcome. Any cancer can spread. Generally, a few cancer cells detach themselves and get into the lymphatic system from which they spread to other areas. That said, your mother's tumours could be benign. The doctor will give the worst case scenarios first and then rule them out one by one.
My mom was given a few months to live until they ruled out a whole bunch of anomalous readings. It has been several years and she's planning an Alaskan cruise with a friend for May.
Oh, and I've had a tumour in my knee for 28 years. It's benign.
Most tumours are benign. I commend you for doing your research so you can be prepared. I wish you both the best. yes cancer could spread all threw the body i am very srry but i would go 2 the doctor and i would pray really good so god can heal u No, the two aren't inter-connected as cancers. HOWEVER, cancer can spread from one part of the body to another, which could link the two. Hopefully it's all malignant, but I'm sorry if it doesn't work out right. =[
"Cancer tumors are called "malignant" because they have the ability to invade normal tissues (replacing healthy cells with cancer cells) and to metastasize or spread to other parts of the body. Death from cancer often comes not from the primary site (where the cancer first began) but from the metastases or the spread site. For example, a patient with stomach cancer may actually die from liver failure after the cancer has spread to that organ.
When a certain type of cancer spreads to another part of the body, it does not change its type. For example, if a person with a lymphoma develops a tumor in the lung which is a metastasis (a spread site) from this lymphoma, the tumor growing in the lung has the same characteristics as the lymphoma. It does not represent a new lung cancer of the type which would develop if the cancer was to start in, or to be "primary" in the lung. It is important to understand this as the treatment that will be effective against the metastasis will be the same treatment that will be used for the primary lymphoma. This is why it is most important for the doctors treating a patient to be able to establish the primary site at which any cancer orginated.
Cancer Spreading, or Metastases takes place in many ways: through the lymphatic system, through the bloodstream, by spreading through body spaces such as the bronchi or abdominal cavity, or through implantation.
The most common way for cancer to spread is through the lymphatic system. This process is called "embolization". The lymph system has its own channels that circulate throughout the body, similar to the veins and arteries of the bloodstream. These channel are very small and carry a tissue fluid called lymph throughout the body.
Often when a solid tumor is removed by surgery, the surgeon will remove not only the tumor but the neighboring lymph glands, even though there is no visible sign of cancer in those glands. This is done as a precautionary measure, because if even one cell has broken away from the tumor and lodged in the lymphatic system, the cancer could continue growing and spreading.
Cancer can also spread through the bloodstream. Cancer cells, like healthy cells, must have a blood supply in order to live, so all cancer cells have access to the bloodstream. Malignant cells can break off from the tumor and travel through the bloodstream until they find a suitable place to start forming a new tumor. (Tumors almost always spread through the veins rather than through the arteries.) Sarcomas spread through the bloodstream, as do certain types of carcinomas, like carcinoma of the kidneys, testicular carcinoma, and Wilms' tumor, a type of kidney cancer seen in young children. Cancers may spread by more than one route.
Cancers can also spread by local invasion -- that is, by intruding on the healthy tissue that surrounds the tumor. Some cancers that spread this way do not venture very far from the original site. An example of this kind of cancer is basal cell carcinoma of the skin. When this kind of cancer is removed by surgeon, a wide area of healthy tissue surrounding it is also removed and it is usually "cured" immediately. Unless some cells have been left behind, it is very unlikely that it will recur. (However, it is possible that a second cancer of the same kind may start to grow at a later time at a completely different site -- the new growth having nothing to do with the first.)
A very rare type of metastasis is caused by implantation or inoculation. This can happen accidentally when a biopsy is done or when cancer surgery is performed. In this case malignant cells may actually drip from a needle or an instrument (this is also called a "spill"). It is desirable, therefore, if possible and if the cancer is small to remove it completely at the initial surgery -- that is at the time of the biopsy.
Cancers do not spread in a completely random fashion. Some parts of the body are more vulnerable to becoming metastatic sites than others. For example cancers rarely metastasize to the skin, but they often metastasize to the liver and lungs. Each type of cancer has its own pattern for metastases. See the individual site discussions for further information." |
