Disclaimer

Patients who have stage 4 colorectal cancer have cancer that has spread from the colon or rectum to one or more distant sites in the body. Typical sites that colorectal cancer spreads to may include the liver, lungs, and peritoneum.  It may sometimes spread to the bones and brain. (It’s still called colorectal cancer, even though it’s moved somewhere else.)

The following is an overview for the treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer. The information on this web-site is intended to help educate you about your treatment options and to create discussion to help in the decision-making process with your treatment team.

Patients diagnosed with Stage 4 colorectal cancer have an increasing number of treatment options as a result of genomic testing and the development of precision cancer medicines. Some patients may be cured of their cancer, and others can derive significant long-term survival benefit with appropriate sequencing of treatment. 

Your cancer will ultimately influence the treatments that are right for your situation.  

Treatment may also include surgery, radiation, targeted therapy, or a combination of these treatment techniques. Multidisciplinary treatment, which uses two or more treatment types, is important for every cancer patient and will help in creating a care plan and goals for improving a chance of cure or prolonging survival. In some cases, participation in a clinical trial may provide additional options.

Patients with Stage 4 brain cancer have cancer that has grown and metastasized (or spread) to the nearby tissues. Tumor cells actively divide and appear very different from the normal cells. It is found that the tumors in the brain very rarely metastasize to other parts of the body, but there are greater chances that these tumors may grow and affect other parts of the central nervous system. Researchers suggest that grading brain cancer is different from other cancer as tumors in the brain are graded based on how aggressive the tumor cells appear under a microscope.

There are over 120 types of brain tumors. Below are some different brain tumor types:

• Acoustic Neuroma
• Astrocytoma:
  • Grade I – Pilocytic Astrocytoma
  • Grade II – Low-grade Astrocytoma
  • Grade III – Anaplastic Astrocytoma
  • Grade IV – Glioblastoma (GBM)
• Chordoma
• CNS Lymphoma
• Craniopharyngioma
• Other Gliomas:
  • Brain Stem Glioma
  • Ependymoma
  • Mixed Glioma
  • Optic Nerve Glioma
  • Subependymoma
• Medulloblastoma
• Meningioma
• Metastatic Brain Tumors
• Oligodendroglioma
• Pituitary Tumors
• Primitive Neuroectodermal (PNET)
• Other Brain-Related Conditions
• Schwannoma

Symptoms of brain cancer depend on which parts of the brain are involved and which functional systems are affected. For example, vision problems may result from a tumor near the optic nerve. A tumor in the front part of the brain may affect the ability to concentrate and think. A tumor located in an area that controls motor function may cause weakness, numbness or difficulty with speech.

Signs of brain cancer may include:

• A headache that changes depending on the time of day and position of the head, and worsens over time
• Seizures
• Numbness
• Nausea or vomiting
• Memory loss
• Muscle weakness
• Speech difficulty

A number of treatment options are currently utilized alone or in combination to achieve optimal results. Treatment options for brain cancer include surgical options, minimally invasive surgical techniques, including endoscopy, intraoperative neuro-navigation, a brain-mapping procedure; intraoperative electrophysiology brain-mapping, also called motor mapping and language mapping; intraoperative radiation therapy (IORT); radiation therapy, including external beam radiation and whole-brain radiation; chemotherapy, including local chemotherapy and systemic chemotherapy; targeted therapy, addressing specific pathways or abnormal brain cells involved in tumor growth.

Your cancer will ultimately influence the treatments that are right for your situation. Treatment may include surgery, radiation, targeted therapy, or a combination of these treatment techniques. Multidisciplinary treatment, which uses two or more treatment types, is important for every cancer patient and will help in creating a care plan and goals for improving a chance of cure or prolonging survival. In some cases, participation in a clinical trial may provide additional options

Patients with stage 4 Cervical cancer has disease that has spread from the original cancer to one or more distant sites in the body. Stage 4 Cervical Cancer is commonly detected from an abnormal pelvic examination or symptoms produced by the patient’s cancer. Following a staging evaluation of cervical cancer, a Stage 4 cancer is said to exist if the cancer has extended beyond the cervix into adjacent organs, such as the rectum or bladder (Stage 4A), or the cancer has spread to distant locations in the body which may include the bones, lungs or liver (It’s still called cervical cancer, even though it’s moved somewhere else.) or Stage 4B. 

The following is an overview for the treatment of metastatic cervical cancer. The information on this web-site is intended to help educate you about your treatment options and to create discussion to help in the decision-making process with your treatment team.  

Your cancer will ultimately influence the treatments that are right for your situation.  

Treatment may include surgery, radiation, targeted therapy, or a combination of these treatment techniques. Multidisciplinary treatment, which uses two or more treatment types, is important for every cancer patient and will help in creating a care plan and goals for improving a chance of cure or prolonging survival. In some cases, participation in a clinical trial may provide additional options. 

Gastric, or stomach cancer, tends to spread to nearby tissues and stay within the abdomen (belly). It may also spread to the liver, lungs, brain, and peritoneum. (It’s still called gastric cancer, even though it’s moved somewhere else.) 

The following is an overview for the treatment for metastatic gastric (GIST) cancer. The information on this web-site is intended to help educate you about your treatment options and to create discussion to help in the decision-making process with your treatment team.  

Your cancer will ultimately influence the treatments that are right for your situation.  

Treatment may also include surgery, radiation, targeted therapy, or a combination of these treatment techniques. Multidisciplinary treatment, which uses two or more treatment types, is important for every cancer patient and will help in creating a care plan and goals for improving a chance of cure or prolonging survival. In some cases, participation in a clinical trial may provide additional options.

Patients with Stage 4 lung cancer have lung cancer that has spread to distant sites.   Lung cancer can spread to almost any organ of the body, but most often it will spread to the adrenal glands, liver, bones, or brain. It can also spread to the other lung.

The following is an overview for the treatment of metastatic lung cancer. The information on this web-ste is intended to help educate you about your treatment options and to create discussion to help in the decision-making process with your treatment team. 

(It’s still called lung cancer, even though it’s moved somewhere else.) 

Sometimes Stage 4 lung cancer is discovered because of symptoms.  The following lung cancer symptoms may accompany any stage of lung cancer, although they are more likely to show up as cancer progresses:

• Persistent, worsening cough
• Coughing up blood
• Blood in spit
• Chest pain that may be worse by deep breaths, coughing, laughing
• Hoarse voice
• Poor appetite
• Unintentional weight loss
• Shortness of breath
• Weakness or fatigue
• Wheezing
• Frequent bronchitis or pneumonia

Your cancer will ultimately influence the treatments that are right for your situation.  

Treatment may also include surgery, radiation, targeted therapy, or a combination of these treatment techniques. Multidisciplinary treatment, which uses two or more treatment types, is important for every cancer patient and will help in creating a care plan and goals for improving a chance of cure or prolonging survival. In some cases, participation in a clinical trial may provide additional options.

Neuroendocrine tumors are referred to as Carcinoid tumors and can also be called metastatic cancer, or cancer that has spread. Neuroendocrine cancer is a rare type of cancer that, for unknown reasons, develops anywhere in the body in special cells of the body called neuroendocrine cells. Neuroendocrine cells are like nerve cells and hormone-producing cells.

There are many different types of neuroendocrine cancer. Some neuroendocrine cancer grows quickly while others grow slowly. Most of these tumors develop in the lungs, appendix, small intestine, rectum, testicles, ovaries, and pancreas. Some tumors can produce hormones, while others don’t.

In slow-growing tumors, symptoms don’t usually occur until it has spread which can be years before diagnosis. In the later stages of tumor development, symptoms may vary depending on the part of the body affected by the tumor.

For example, a GI tumor can spread to the liver and produce hormone-like substances to spread through the body, causing symptoms of flushing of face and chest, difficulty breathing, and diarrhea. These symptoms are called carcinoid syndrome. Whereas a lung tumor is more likely to develop coughing, wheezing, or pneumonia. It can also cause other symptoms once it has spread throughout the body.

There are certain risk factors that increase your chances of developing neuroendocrine carcinoids; such as a family history of multiple endocrine neoplasms, (MEN-), (GI) gastrointestinal carcinoid tumors, or a family history of Neurofibromatosis Type-1, (NF-1), or other genetic syndromes such as von Hippel Lindau disease, or tuberous sclerosis complex, a history of pernicious anemia, or other stomach related problems that decrease the amount of stomach acids. African Americans and men have a greater incidence of developing GI cancers. Caucasians have a greater incidence of lung involvement.

The type and location of the cancer you have will influence the treatments which are right for you! Treatment may include surgery, radiation, targeted therapy, or a combination of these treatment techniques. Multidisciplinary treatment, which uses two or more treatment types, is important for every cancer patient and will help in creating a care plan and goals for improving a chance of cure or prolonging survival. In some cases, participation in a clinical trial may provide additional options

Patients with Stage 4 pancreatic cancer have cancer that has spread from the pancreas to other sites. Metastatic pancreatic cancer starts in the pancreas and spreads to the surrounding organs, including the liver, stomach, spleen and intestines. (It’s still called pancreatic cancer, even though it’s moved somewhere else.)

The following is an overview for the treatment of metastatic pancreatic cancer. The information on this web-site is intended to help educate you about your treatment options and to create discussion to help in the decision-making process with your treatment team.

The pancreas is a small gland which is shaped like a leaf and located just below the stomach. Its functions include excreting enzymes which aid the digestive process and the hormones insulin and glucagon, which help to control blood sugar.

The most common type of pancreatic cancer is called adenocarcinoma, and this starts in the enzyme-producing cells of the pancreas

Your cancer will ultimately influence the treatments that are right for your situation.  

Treatment may also include surgery, radiation, targeted therapy, or a combination of these treatment techniques. Multidisciplinary treatment, which uses two or more treatment types, is important for every cancer patient and will help in creating a care plan and goals for improving a chance of cure or prolonging survival. In some cases, participation in a clinical trial may provide additional options.

Patients with Stage 4 renal cell carcinoma have cancer that has spread from the kidney to other sites. Renal cell carcinoma, or kidney cancer, can grow where it started and invade nearby tissues. It can spread from the kidney into the large vein that drains the blood from the kidney (the renal vein). From there it can spread into a large vein that empties into the heart (the inferior vena cava). It can also grow from the kidney into the adrenal gland, which sits on top of the kidney. When it spreads, the lungs and bones are the most common sites, and occasionally the liver. (It’s still called renal cell carcinoma, even though it’s moved somewhere else.)

The following is an overview for the treatment of metastatic renal cell carcinoma. The information on this web-site is intended to help educate you about your treatment options and to create discussion to help in the decision-making process with your treatment team.

Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is the most common malignant neoplasm of the kidney, representing 90% of primary renal tumors and 3% of adult malignancies. It has an unpredictable clinical course, with metastases to unusual sites occurring months to many years after diagnosis and treatment. Metastatic RCC may also be the first clinical presentation.

Your cancer will ultimately influence the treatments that are right for your situation.  

Treatment may also include surgery, radiation, targeted therapy, or a combination of these treatment techniques. Multidisciplinary treatment, which uses two or more treatment types, is important for every cancer patient and will help in creating a care plan and goals for improving a chance of cure or prolonging survival. In some cases, participation in a clinical trial may provide additional options