Does Ovarian Cancers metastasize to the Brain?

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  • carolenk
    carolenk Member Posts: 907 Member
    #22
    Hissy_Fitz said:

    Taxol seems to be an either
    Taxol seems to be an either or proposition. For me, it was definitely a good thing. I had 18 infusions of the stuff and no side effects. For those who can tolerate Taxol, I think it's almost a miracle drug. It's too bad that it is so toxic to so many.

    Carlene

    I think hair loss is a side
    Dear Carlene

    I think hair loss is a side effect of taxol--you probably don't even think of that as being a side effect. Being bald becomes the new "normal."

    (((hugs)))

    Carolen
  • Susan53
    Susan53 Member Posts: 178
    #23
    Hissy_Fitz said:

    It's rare, but certainly
    It's rare, but certainly possible. There is a member on Inspire that has had mets to the brain.

    And with Leesa, they are not yet certain that her brain tumors are from the OC. As Ken said, when OC does spread to the brain, it usually goes other places, too and that does not seem to be the case with Leesa.

    It's crazy how this stuff spreads. If they biopsy a brain tumor, they can tell if it's ovarian cancer, or some other organ's cancer. It's not uncommon for people to have more than one primary cancer.

    My doctor's nurse told me that they

    Carlene

    Not uncommon with me
    Carlene I had 3 primary cancers. Ovarian, uterine and appendix. My first path. report said that I had uterine cancer that spread to the ovary. After my debulking surgery and everything retested they found out that they were similar but both different. And that is when they discovered that I also had 2 very rare appendix cancers. Next month it will be 1 year since I was dx with cancer and it sometimes still feels like a nightmare. Like something that really didn't happen. Crazy I know. Sharon
  • Hissy_Fitz
    Hissy_Fitz Member Posts: 1,834
    #24
    carolenk said:

    I think hair loss is a side
    Dear Carlene

    I think hair loss is a side effect of taxol--you probably don't even think of that as being a side effect. Being bald becomes the new "normal."

    (((hugs)))

    Carolen

    Pfffttt....hair is so far
    Pfffttt....hair is so far down on my priority list, I don't even think about it anymore.

    Carlene
  • leesag
    leesag Member Posts: 621 Member
    #25
    Hissy_Fitz said:

    Pfffttt....hair is so far
    Pfffttt....hair is so far down on my priority list, I don't even think about it anymore.

    Carlene

    Hairless Comfort
    I had my CT today to prepare for Gamma Knife on Wednesday. I realized, as I was sweating through my scarf, that I wasn't wearing it so that I would be comfortable, I was wearing it so that other people wouldn't feel UNcomfortable. Needless the real feel temp here in Baltimore was 110+ degrees with nearly 100% humidity. I whipped off my scarf at my daughter's urging and stopped worrying about other people.

    LOL..yes I look like a mutated Michael Myers with patches of tiny hairs and a zipper scar going across the top of my head, but I FELT comfortable! I think it's the most important thing we need to learn as survivors-- to feel comfortable in our own skin, bald heads and all!


    :)

    Leesa
  • gdpawel
    gdpawel Member Posts: 523 Member
    #26
    gdpawel said:

    Ovarian cancer and brain metastases
    During the past fifteen years it has been frequently observed that more and more patients are presenting central nervous system (CNS) involvement as the only evidence of disease progression. It seems that retrospective studies in patients with epithelial ovarian cancer do not differ among patients who relapsed with isolated brain metastases and those with relapse outside the CNS.

    The trafficking of cancer cells to their final destination may be guided by factors produced by stromal cells of their host organ. For example, Melanoma cells are closely related to CNS cells. Breast cancer cells more commonly are found in the posterior pituitary. Renal, gastrointestinal and pelvic are cancers tend to metastasize to the cerebellum. My wife's solitary brain met was to the cerebellum.

    An article in Gynecologic Oncology (Volume 92, Issue 3, March 2004, Pages 978-980) by John P. Micha, et al, Gynecologic Oncology Associates, Hoag Memorial Hospital Cancer Center, Newport Beach, CA states that brain metastases resulting from primary ovarian cancer are supposedly rare, however, there have been recent studies suggesting an increased incidence of brain metastases (PubMed PMID: 14984970).

    After the demise of my wife, I've done a decade of cancer research. During that time, I found out about what is called "dissemination after taxane-based (Taxol) chemotherapy," which is a frequent protocol for ovarian cancer patients. I wrote a paper, "Who Needs Taxol" which summarized all the material I've found over the years on it. I've posted it on cancerfocus.org on the Main Category threads under "Common chemotherapy drug triggers fatal allergic reactions."

    Greg

    Cabozantinib in advanced ovarian cancer patients

    They were looking for drugs to treat the inflammation seen in Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. They tested a compound called a PPAR-gamma modulator. It would never normally have been thought of as a cancer drug, or in fact a drug of any kind. They ran several tests and found the compound killed pretty much every epithelial tumor cell lines they have seen. Epithelial cells line organs such as the colon, and also make up skin. The drug is called Cabozantinib (XL184). The compound worked in much the same way as the taxane drugs, including Taxol, which were originally derived from Pacific yew trees. It targets part of the cell cytoskeleton called tubulin. Tubulin is used to build microtubules, which in turn make up the cell's structure. Destroying it kills the cell, but cancer cells eventually evolve mechanisms to pump out the drugs that do this, a problem called resistance. Resistance to anti-tubulin therapies, like Taxol, is a huge problem in many cancers. They see this as another way to get to the tubulin. The PPAR-gamma compound does this in a different way from the taxanes, which might mean it could overcome the resistance that tumor cells often develop to chemotherapy. Most of the drugs like Taxol affect the ability of tubulin to form into microtubules. This doesn't do that -- it causes the tubulin itself to disappear. They do not know why. They planned to do more safety tests in mice. As the compound is already patented, the team will probably have to design something slightly different to be able to patent it as a new drug. Activity of cabozantinib (XL184) in advanced ovarian cancer patients

    http://cancerfocus.org/forum/showthread.php?t=3430

    http://cancerfocus.org/forum/showthread.php?t=3390

    http://cancerfocus.org/forum/showthread.php?t=3627

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