Dealing With Bone Metastases



Prostate cancer that has spread to other adjacent areas are called metastases. One of the worse scenario of metastases is metastases in the bone. Cancer cells will weakened bone cells, resulting in bone pain and other complications. However, these are not the same as bone cancer.

The bones that are closest to the prostate is the pelvic bone, the lower spines and the upper thighs. These are the areas that is most vulnerable for bone metastases caused by prostate cancer. If you are a prostate cancer patient and experience pain in these areas, you may have a case of bone metastases.

Diagnosis can be done though a bone scan in conjunction with a dye-like radioactive material injection to the vein. This dye material will show rapid changes that occur in the skeleton imaging - a sign of possible bone metastases. Apart from bone metastases, your bone can be experiencing high level of activities to heal previous injuries or bone loss due to hormone therapy.

Other types of scanning technology such as CT, MRI, PET and x-ray can also detect bone metastases.


Treatment For Bone Metastases

Radiation therapy is often used to treat bone metastases and just like in prostate cancer, radiation therapy can be done externally or internally or both.

External radiation therapy uses x-ray and is carefully targetted to map out area by oncologist to minimize the damage to nearby healthy tissue. This type of external radiation is different to those administered for the prostate area.

For internal radiation therapy, radioactive drugs are injected to the vein and eventually reach targeted area where it will emit radiation that kill prostate cancer cells.


Considerations Pertaining Bone Metastases

Apart from killing and slowing down prostate cancer cells in the bone, bone metastases treatment also alleviate pain and prevent the deterioration of the bones that can cause a whole new range of problems.

Weakened bones are prone to fractures and areas where prostate cancer will likely to settle on are vital structures such as the spine and pelvic bones. Bones are constantly monitored for any changes in integrity, mass and risk of fracture. If necessary, surgery will be deployed to stabilize the risky areas.

Such surgery is especially crucial for delicate area such as the spine. An unhealthy vertebra may result in the spinal bones collapsing on one another compressing and affecting the nerves that runs from it. If not handled properly, this can even lead to paralysis.


Managing The Pain

Don't be afraid to take painkiller pills. It is necessary to help cope with the pain especially when nerve are being compressed. Some patients even have to take steroid to bear the excruciating pain.