Ovarian Cancer that has spread to lung??

slr4nkh
slr4nkh Member Posts: 7
in Ovarian Cancer #1
My mom (53yrs) was recently diagnosed with Stage IV Adenocarcinoma Lung Cancer last week. She has cancer cells in the fluid around her lung, lymph nodes around lung and up around collar bone. Her brain MRI and bone scan came back clear however, the CT scan of her lower abdomen came back with a mass on her right ovary (same side as the 8cm tumor lower lung) that is 4cm. Oncologist is testing markers to see if lung cancer has mestasized to ovary.

I can find no evidence that lung cancer can spread to ovaries but rather the other way around, ovarian cancer to the lung. She shows no symptoms of lung cancer other than a persistent cough that started in October 2011.

She started Carbo/Taxol/Avastin today with Nuelesta shot Monday morning.

I've read about the CA-125 protein marker from blood test and I don't believe that was on her CBC that was ran last week. I've read about the treatment plan for ovarian cancer, I guess it would be stage IV if it's gone to the lung, and it's very different than same stage lung cancer treatment plan.

Has anyone here had ovarian cancer that spread to the lung?

Comments

  • karen1951
    karen1951 Member Posts: 103
    #2
    hi...i was diagnosed with
    hi...i was diagnosed with stage IV ovarian cancer in aug of 2010. my symptom was shortness of breath that my pcp kept telling me was asthma...even though the inhalers he gave me weren't doing anything. he finally sent me to the emergency room where a chest xray showed my lungs were full of fluid. they finally diagnosed it as ovarian cancer after a catscan showed a mass in my right ovary. i had a massive debulking surgery followed by the carbo/taxol but no avastin and had a terrific response that lasted nearly a year...i am currently undergoing more chemo for recurrence. i wish you all the best for your mom...you've come to the right place for advice and support.....karen
  • lovesanimals
    lovesanimals Member Posts: 1,366 Member
    #3
    karen1951 said:

    hi...i was diagnosed with
    hi...i was diagnosed with stage IV ovarian cancer in aug of 2010. my symptom was shortness of breath that my pcp kept telling me was asthma...even though the inhalers he gave me weren't doing anything. he finally sent me to the emergency room where a chest xray showed my lungs were full of fluid. they finally diagnosed it as ovarian cancer after a catscan showed a mass in my right ovary. i had a massive debulking surgery followed by the carbo/taxol but no avastin and had a terrific response that lasted nearly a year...i am currently undergoing more chemo for recurrence. i wish you all the best for your mom...you've come to the right place for advice and support.....karen

    Hi
    I don't have personal experience with ovarian cancer spreading to lungs but know that I'm sending good thoughts and prayers to you and your mom as she fights this battle with you by her side.

    Kelly
  • AnneBehymer
    AnneBehymer Member Posts: 738 Member
    #4
    I have not had lung cancer
    but I do have stage four ovarian cancer and it seems she is on the same kind of first lince cancer treatment I was on. When I found out I had ovarian cancer I had fluid on my lungs I had to have them drain four times before it quit filling my lungs. On all of the time the fluid was remove they found not cancer cell in the fluid until the last time the fluid was removed, on that last time they found cancer cells in my right lungs fluid. I do not have cancer in that lung but we will be keeping an eye on it. My chemo was Taxol/Carbo on the first treatment and then Taxo/Carbo/Avastin for the next five treatments (oh by the time I had finished my third treatmetn I went into remission). Now I am on Avastin only as a maintance chemo until Septmeber on this year. I don't know if this helps but thought I would let you know what I had. Keep coming here you can find that these ladies know alot and they will help and support you and your mom through this battle.

    Anne
  • JoWin615
    JoWin615 Member Posts: 150 Member
    #5
    I agree with Anne
    The people who post on this board are very knowledgeable. From what I gather, ovarian cancer can pop up again almost anywhere. Very sneaky. A CA-125 test might help to tell the doctors whether or not the ovary was your mom's primary source of cancer. Please keep us posted.

    Cheers, Jo
  • cjoy55
    cjoy55 Member Posts: 11
    #6
    My mom was diagnosed with
    My mom was diagnosed with stage 3c ovarian. After the surgery her pet scan showed that it had metastasized to her lungs. After 3 months of chemo her pet scan has come out clean except for a small nodule on her lung that they are not positive is cancer. She's going through to more rounds of chemo and then is done unless it reoccurs. Best wishes to you and your mom, I know how hard this is. Christie
  • poopergirl14052
    poopergirl14052 Member Posts: 1,183 Member
    #7
    cjoy55 said:

    My mom was diagnosed with
    My mom was diagnosed with stage 3c ovarian. After the surgery her pet scan showed that it had metastasized to her lungs. After 3 months of chemo her pet scan has come out clean except for a small nodule on her lung that they are not positive is cancer. She's going through to more rounds of chemo and then is done unless it reoccurs. Best wishes to you and your mom, I know how hard this is. Christie

    OVCA can spread
    to the lungs also. Has your Mom had a biopsy to confirm cancer? Ca-125 is only a start and is not always the best indicator. I have never heard of lung cancer going to the ovaries either. Is your Mom,s Doctor sending her to a gyn/onc...that would be her best option,,hope this helps...val
  • Radioactive34
    Radioactive34 Member Posts: 391 Member
    #8
    poopergirl14052 said:

    OVCA can spread
    to the lungs also. Has your Mom had a biopsy to confirm cancer? Ca-125 is only a start and is not always the best indicator. I have never heard of lung cancer going to the ovaries either. Is your Mom,s Doctor sending her to a gyn/onc...that would be her best option,,hope this helps...val

    My mother in law had lung
    My mother in law had lung cancer that had mets to the cervical area. That was where they figured it orginated. How it got there was something doctors in multiple states kept scratching their heads over. The most accepted theory they had was that it was a polyp like cell cluster that broke off the lungs and headed south.

    By the time they found it, it was stage 4-5. It had mets to all abdominal cavity and was actually bulging out her back. I am beginning to think that when we have cancer all figured out it turns on a dime to confound us. At least that is what I got from ready The Emperor of All Maladies, and everything I have read or heard.

    Still, there is hope out there. A lot of survivors.
  • slr4nkh
    slr4nkh Member Posts: 7
    #9
    poopergirl14052 said:

    OVCA can spread
    to the lungs also. Has your Mom had a biopsy to confirm cancer? Ca-125 is only a start and is not always the best indicator. I have never heard of lung cancer going to the ovaries either. Is your Mom,s Doctor sending her to a gyn/onc...that would be her best option,,hope this helps...val

    Tumor Marker
    They drew her blood Friday when she did her first chemo treatment to test if the tumor maker is the same as the one in her lung. ONC stated that if the same, the lung has spread to the ovary and they will continue with current treatment and hope they both shrink after two treatments. If the tumor marker is different than the one in her lung then ONC will send her to a GYN/ONC.

    I've been reading that the majority of the tumor markers are the same for NSCL and ovarian. I'm hoping they test for CA-125 marker but am concerned that ONC will say the primary is the lung cancer and not remove the tumor in the ovary.

    Can we seek a second opinion after already starting her treatment?

    Thanks to all of you for your replies. It's all good information that we greatly appreciate.
  • kikz
    kikz Member Posts: 1,345 Member
    #10
    slr4nkh said:

    Tumor Marker
    They drew her blood Friday when she did her first chemo treatment to test if the tumor maker is the same as the one in her lung. ONC stated that if the same, the lung has spread to the ovary and they will continue with current treatment and hope they both shrink after two treatments. If the tumor marker is different than the one in her lung then ONC will send her to a GYN/ONC.

    I've been reading that the majority of the tumor markers are the same for NSCL and ovarian. I'm hoping they test for CA-125 marker but am concerned that ONC will say the primary is the lung cancer and not remove the tumor in the ovary.

    Can we seek a second opinion after already starting her treatment?

    Thanks to all of you for your replies. It's all good information that we greatly appreciate.

    I went to a therapist for a while
    after my treatment ended just to make sure I was dealing with everything as well as I seemed to be. One day she asked if the doctors had told me where the cancer might recur. I told her I had been informed about the odds of recurrence but only in the same area. She said that she thinks of cancer cells hopping on a train after chemo and heading somewhere else. Thank you so much. I left that session in a state of shock. It seemed I had more to worry about than I thought.

    At my next appointment with my oncologist I asked her about this. She said if there is a recurrence it will come back to the same area. This does not however preclude the chance of getting a different cancer but my odds for that would be the same as any other person.

    We seem to have varied information about recurrence. It seems different doctor.....different interpretation. We are at the mercy of people who don't have all the answers. I am not knocking them but it's how I feel. I often don't even ask a question because I know the answer I get is only an opinion.

    I sometimes feel more comfortable asking questions here because at least I'll here from women who have experienced the same situation.

    Karen
  • carolenk
    carolenk Member Posts: 907 Member
    #11
    kikz said:

    I went to a therapist for a while
    after my treatment ended just to make sure I was dealing with everything as well as I seemed to be. One day she asked if the doctors had told me where the cancer might recur. I told her I had been informed about the odds of recurrence but only in the same area. She said that she thinks of cancer cells hopping on a train after chemo and heading somewhere else. Thank you so much. I left that session in a state of shock. It seemed I had more to worry about than I thought.

    At my next appointment with my oncologist I asked her about this. She said if there is a recurrence it will come back to the same area. This does not however preclude the chance of getting a different cancer but my odds for that would be the same as any other person.

    We seem to have varied information about recurrence. It seems different doctor.....different interpretation. We are at the mercy of people who don't have all the answers. I am not knocking them but it's how I feel. I often don't even ask a question because I know the answer I get is only an opinion.

    I sometimes feel more comfortable asking questions here because at least I'll here from women who have experienced the same situation.

    Karen

    sir4nkhYou can a second
    sir4nkh

    You can get a second opinion ANY TIME YOU WANT! Whether or not you change treatments is another story. I have had several outside opinions & each agreed to send a copy of their notes to the primary oncologist for his consideration.
  • pattysoo
    pattysoo Member Posts: 170
    #12
    slr4nkh said:

    Tumor Marker
    They drew her blood Friday when she did her first chemo treatment to test if the tumor maker is the same as the one in her lung. ONC stated that if the same, the lung has spread to the ovary and they will continue with current treatment and hope they both shrink after two treatments. If the tumor marker is different than the one in her lung then ONC will send her to a GYN/ONC.

    I've been reading that the majority of the tumor markers are the same for NSCL and ovarian. I'm hoping they test for CA-125 marker but am concerned that ONC will say the primary is the lung cancer and not remove the tumor in the ovary.

    Can we seek a second opinion after already starting her treatment?

    Thanks to all of you for your replies. It's all good information that we greatly appreciate.

    2nd opinion
    You can absolutely go for a second opinion, even after starting treatment - I did that, and it resulted in a slight change in my chemo. Second opinions are usually good practice and insurance should cover it.

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