What Are Or Is Lung Mets?

[Guest greytful4]

A form of cancer? Just wondering..as I've heard this term before and didn't know.

[tydyelady]

I believe it is a cancer that has spread from somewhere else and has metastisized (sp?) in the lungs. I believe once it is there it is usually fatal. Someone feel free to correct me if I am wrong or have left anything out.

[PrairieProf]

Yes, it's short for lung metastases.

[HopeForHounds]

I believe it is a cancer that has spread from somewhere else and has metastisized (sp?) in the lungs. I believe once it is there it is usually fatal. Someone feel free to correct me if I am wrong or have left anything out.

 

 

That's pretty much the sad fact.

 

Cancer can metastasize to another location in the body. These are called secondary tumors. If the cancer is found in the lungs there is nothing else to be done.

Edited August 8, 2009 by foxysmom

[rycezmom]

Mets to the lungs does not necessarily mean nothing else can be done. While primary lesions to the head stay in the head, primaries in other parts of the body are able to spread to other areas, including the head. It depends on whether the tumor in the lung is the primary tumor or the met/secondary of another tumor. It also depends on the pathology/type of tumor, current treatment options available and if there are other systems involved. Oncologist, both human and hound, are working on so many new and promising treatment modalities that it makes my head spin. I think that as a group, we focus on osteo because it takes so many of our hounds. We forget that there is a myriad of other cancers until it hits one of our own. If only we could screen our hounds for cancer the way we do for ourselves.......

[ahicks51]

That's pretty much the sad fact.

 

Cancer can metastasize to another location in the body. These are called secondary tumors. If the cancer is found in the lungs there is nothing else to be done.

 

The lungs are a network of fine blood vessels, in effect a "filter" for any metastatic cells. It is a tragically good location for tumors to start.

 

As an aside, one of the off-label uses for a drug that has historically been used for management of drug addiction has shown promise as an anti-cancer medication. Moreover, the therapeutic dose is very low, and the primary side-effect is that it would block opioid painkillers used in some types of pain management.

 

There is no sign it works on osteosarcoma, as- frankly- humans with osteo tend to be adolescents, and are given a management regime that doesn't include "fringe" off-label treatments. But- given the near absence of side-effects, this would make for a good option for dogs that have run out of options. I've mentioned it to Dr. C, but there is an absence of data to support its use.

 

If anyone is caught between such a rock and a hard place, PM me and I'll give you information for your vet to examine to determine if it may be a viable option for your dog. Again, the side-effects are minimal, and in terms of cost it's an off-label use of a medication whose patent lapsed a long time ago.

[Guest Energy11]

Cancer that has spread from someplace else in the body, to the lungs. "Mets" is short for metastasize (move)

[Guest greytful4]

Mets to the lungs does not necessarily mean nothing else can be done. While primary lesions to the head stay in the head, primaries in other parts of the body are able to spread to other areas, including the head. It depends on whether the tumor in the lung is the primary tumor or the met/secondary of another tumor. It also depends on the pathology/type of tumor, current treatment options available and if there are other systems involved. Oncologist, both human and hound, are working on so many new and promising treatment modalities that it makes my head spin. I think that as a group, we focus on osteo because it takes so many of our hounds. We forget that there is a myriad of other cancers until it hits one of our own. If only we could screen our hounds for cancer the way we do for ourselves.......

 

 

 

Leslie , what would the symptoms be and would it show up on an ultra sound? I'm now wondering if Kylie might of had that as she hacked a lot and spit up bile before she went downhill.

[Guest Tenderhearts]

Yes, it's short for lung metastases.

 

 

When I took Pikachu in to the vet in February and the vet found the tumor behind a tonsil, the xrays showed both lungs with numerous mets.

[Guest VirginiaGreys]

I felt Dodge's cancer had finally gone to his lungs when he started having these coughing spasms where he seemed to be trying to hack up something...but there was nothing being hacked up. I figured that he was having a hard time breathing? He was also getting out of breath easier this past weekend. All of these things started happening a little over a week ago...and progressed more and more over the weekend...that's when I knew that it was time.

[RobinM]

Short of a miracle, it's pretty much over after that. That's what got my Polli in the end.

[Guest EmbersDad]

Short of a miracle, it's pretty much over after that. That's what got my Polli in the end.

 

 

same with ember. she had an amputation for osteo. we were scheduled for round 5 of chemo when she began to cough after our walks. i had just got over a cold, so i had hoped she got it, but it wasnt to be. an xray showed the tumors had spread to her lungs. after watching my father slip away in a drug haze, i did not want that for ember, so i released her that day. the tumors were the size of quarters.

[Guest FordRacingRon]

When you get cancer you will have a primary tumor. The pathology report will tell you, or verify, the type. For example I had kidney cancer with the tumor in the kidney. After that was found I was scanned head to toe to see if the cancer had metastized to other parts/organs in my body. If that were the case the secondary tumors would be biopsied to see if they were also kidney cancer. So if something were found in my lungs it could be metastized kidney cancer, or lung cancer. Usually the first step is to remove the primary tumor then deal with the Mets. Many times, at least in a human, when primary tumor loads are decreased the body's own immune system may have a better chance in helping fight the mets. I would assume dogs are the same. So having mets is not always a death sentence but it does me extra attention has to be paid to them by either surgery or chemo etc. MAny time if primary tumors are removed, depending upon the size and type of cancer, followup therapys are done anyhow (chemo , radiation) because microscopic cells from the cancer could be floating around in the blood stream and the idea is to kill those too.

[mangos_mom]

Mets to the lungs does not necessarily mean nothing else can be done. While primary lesions to the head stay in the head, primaries in other parts of the body are able to spread to other areas, including the head. It depends on whether the tumor in the lung is the primary tumor or the met/secondary of another tumor. It also depends on the pathology/type of tumor, current treatment options available and if there are other systems involved. Oncologist, both human and hound, are working on so many new and promising treatment modalities that it makes my head spin. I think that as a group, we focus on osteo because it takes so many of our hounds. We forget that there is a myriad of other cancers until it hits one of our own. If only we could screen our hounds for cancer the way we do for ourselves.......

 

 

 

Leslie , what would the symptoms be and would it show up on an ultra sound? I'm now wondering if Kylie might of had that as she hacked a lot and spit up bile before she went downhill.

 

I didn't see an answer to this question yet, so I thought I would add that the lung mets show up pretty clearly on an xray, so ultrasound usually isn't needed. (Wishing I didn't know this from experience... )

[Guest Heehoo]

Mets to the lungs does not necessarily mean nothing else can be done. While primary lesions to the head stay in the head, primaries in other parts of the body are able to spread to other areas, including the head. It depends on whether the tumor in the lung is the primary tumor or the met/secondary of another tumor. It also depends on the pathology/type of tumor, current treatment options available and if there are other systems involved. Oncologist, both human and hound, are working on so many new and promising treatment modalities that it makes my head spin. I think that as a group, we focus on osteo because it takes so many of our hounds. We forget that there is a myriad of other cancers until it hits one of our own. If only we could screen our hounds for cancer the way we do for ourselves.......

Very good Leslie...I was reading about Thyroid tumors & how they can spread to the lungs or the lymphs. So since Pipi was diagnosed, I've been watching for certains things like coughing & I casually check her neck, under her arms, down her back legs & her abdomend. I'm trying very hard to keep her stress free. You're right, when we hear about cancer in dogs, we instantly think of osteo. With Gogh, he was diagnosed on a Monday with the left front leg, by the next Monday he had a nodule in his left lung.

When my husband was diagnosed with melanoma cancer, it metastisized everywhere. His xrays looked like a dalmation on the inside, especially his lungs & brain. I did not understand it all until then. How someone could die of bone cancer when it was in their lungs.

 

I wish I didn't know it from experience either.

 

My vet recommends that when you have an xray of the leg done, have xrays of the lungs & an bone biopsy. Sometimes the xray shows something that could also be a bone fungus.

 

On Gogh, he did the lung xray first, and didnt have to do the biopsy, the xrays showed it all.

[rycezmom]

Mets to the lungs does not necessarily mean nothing else can be done. While primary lesions to the head stay in the head, primaries in other parts of the body are able to spread to other areas, including the head. It depends on whether the tumor in the lung is the primary tumor or the met/secondary of another tumor. It also depends on the pathology/type of tumor, current treatment options available and if there are other systems involved. Oncologist, both human and hound, are working on so many new and promising treatment modalities that it makes my head spin. I think that as a group, we focus on osteo because it takes so many of our hounds. We forget that there is a myriad of other cancers until it hits one of our own. If only we could screen our hounds for cancer the way we do for ourselves.......

 

 

 

Leslie , what would the symptoms be and would it show up on an ultra sound? I'm now wondering if Kylie might of had that as she hacked a lot and spit up bile before she went downhill.

 

I didn't see an answer to this question yet, so I thought I would add that the lung mets show up pretty clearly on an xray, so ultrasound usually isn't needed. (Wishing I didn't know this from experience... )

 

Sorry. Tumors, lesions, masses, fluid, loculated or not, do usually show up on lung x-rays. Air shows as black or empty areas of a lung xray. Anything that takes up space will cloud or white out the area depending on what it is. Ultrasounds are good at picking up masses or things that don't belong on/in other internal structures. It can also be used to check blood flow through blood vessels and through the heart. Free fluid can also be seen using ultrasound. Biopsies are also done using ultrasound as a form of guidance without having to do an incision. Bx of a mass or lesion is still going to be your definative diagnosis.

[Guest greytful4]

How are these dogs getting various forms of cancer ??? I just don't understand this! They don't smoke, don't drink diet beverages, don't use hair dye, etc....I know no one knows the answer,but I had NO IDEA there was so many forms of cancer until it came to my house and took my girl.

[ahicks51]

How are these dogs getting various forms of cancer ??? I just don't understand this! They don't smoke, don't drink diet beverages, don't use hair dye, etc....I know no one knows the answer,but I had NO IDEA there was so many forms of cancer until it came to my house and took my girl.

 

Genetics influences cancer more than almost any other factor. In humans, osteosarcoma is relatively rare- perhaps 300 cases a year, almost all of which are in adolescents. There may be chemical components- fluoride is a suspect- but it seems more likely, given the age bracket, that something goes "wacky" with the genes, right during that period of the child's growth. In that aspect alone, it seems that osteosarcoma in dogs is very different from that in humans. Whether management is all that different in terms of survival- I don't know.

 

Greyhounds are hardly alone in the incidence of osteo; all large breed dogs are at increased risk. I don't know of any large breed dogs where there is not concern, so either there is some genetics thing going on, or the root environmental cause (repeated bone trauma due to size) is responsible- whether fluoride is a contributing factor is debatable. I had a post on this a long time ago, pointing out how there seems to be a link with humans. For what it's worth, all our dogs get water treated by reverse osmosis, which should contain very small quantities of fluoride in comparison to the tap water we start with.

 

Also highly speculative: grains and carbohydrates. Carbs produce an insulin spike, and insulin is a structural mimic of insulin-like growth factor (IGF), which has been implicated in everything from cancer to diabetes. Moreover, bone cells are some of the many cells that respond to IGF.

 

Lastly- and this goes beyond speculation to "AJ's little pet theory of much dubiousness," is the production of bone material due to what is known as spondylosis deformans, which almost all dogs suffer to some degree as they age. In the majority of dogs, it's not a problem; a few breeds- most notably boxers- suffer greatly from it. A similar- but distinctly different- malady in humans is ankylosing spondylitis, a disease linked to a human lymphocyte antigen (HLA B27), which does really nasty things to the spine and neck due to autoimmune assault on the body's collagen. The disease course MAY be due to consumption of starch- amylopectin starch- which is found in grains, among other things. Now- this doesn't cause bone cancer in humans, but if the disease- causing chronic inflammation of the bone- goes this route in dogs, well- it's not a huge-huge leap to grains causing bone cancer in dogs. But that's way speculative, verging on fantasy.

[rycezmom]

I think a lot of people live their lives without thinking about cancer until it strikes them or someone close to them. There are a lot of people out there who are cancer survivors that don't tell people about it. It has not been that long ago that the word cancer was not talked about in families. My Mom said that it "just wasn't polite to bring it up and families were, for some reason, ashamed to admit to cancer within themselves or their family". The advent of the "wellness" and "healthy living" ways of life have brought this to the forefront and placed it smack in front of our faces. Disease prevention and the internet has opened up medicine to the masses. The more educated we make ourselves the better we can make informed decisions regarding our own health care. We do not buy a new car without a little homework do we? Not likely! We are consumers of health care. Hospitals vie for our business. They advertise and try to lure us with all the new technology. So now we do our homework and cancer is not a dirty little secret. Cancer screening is now a normal part of our everyday health care. How do we make it a part of our everyday care of our hounds? We continue to support Dr. Couto and The Greyhound Wellness Program, we continue to educate ourselves (and our vets) on the best ways to take care of our hounds in the healthiest ways possible. and we do the best we can for our hounds. To do this we

 

EDUCATE, ADVOCATE AND COMMUNICATE

 

I am a cancer survivor too

 

L.