Symptoms of secondary cancer
What are secondary cancers?
Secondary cancers are the same type of cancer as the original (primary) cancer. For example, cancer cells may spread from the breast (primary cancer) to form new tumors in the lung (secondary cancer). The cancer cells in the lung are just like the ones in the breast. Also called secondary tumor.
How long can you live with secondary cancer?
In the past, many people did not live long with metastatic cancer. Even with today’s better treatments, recovery is not always possible. But doctors can often treat cancer even if they cannot cure it. A good quality of life is possible for months or even years.
What are the signs that cancer is growing in your body?
What are some general signs and symptoms of cancer?
- Fatigue or extreme tiredness that doesn’t get better with rest.
- Weight loss or gain of 10 pounds or more for no known reason.
- Eating problems such as not feeling hungry, trouble swallowing, belly pain, or nausea and vomiting.
- Swelling or lumps anywhere in the body.
Do secondary cancers spread?
When a cancer starts in one place in the body and spreads elsewhere, this is a secondary cancer or a ‘metastasis’. The place in the body where a cancer first starts is the ‘primary cancer’. Sometimes, cancer cells can break off from the primary cancer and spread elsewhere in the body.
What stage is secondary cancer?
stage III – the cancer is larger and may have spread to the surrounding tissues and/or the lymph nodes (part of the lymphatic system) stage IV – the cancer has spread from where it started to at least one other body organ; also known as “secondary” or “metastatic” cancer.
How do doctors know its secondary cancer?
Whereabouts the secondary cancer is in your body can help your doctors decide what tests to do. For example, secondary cancer in lymph nodes in the neck most likely came from a primary cancer in the head and neck area. So doctors might arrange for you to have a scan such as PET-CT scan.
What is the hardest cancer to detect?
Kidney cancer
Like pancreatic cancer — kidney, or renal cell cancer — is hard to detect because there are few symptoms in the early stages of the disease, which affects 54,000 people in the U.S. per year. One of the earliest warning signs is discolored urine, or urine that has a high blood cell count.
Can you have secondary cancer without primary?
They have found a secondary cancer but have not been able to find the primary tumour. A secondary cancer happens when cancer cells separate from a primary site and spread to another part of the body. The cancer cells travel through the blood or lymphatic system and form a new cancer somewhere else in the body.