osteoblastic

[unoriginal]

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is prostate cancer the only cancer that can show osteoBLASTIC lesions in bone?

 

[lord_jeebus]

Osteosarcoma?

 

[unoriginal]

ok, yeah that is the one i was trying to think of. We learned these 2 in lecture... I don't recall any others... anyone else?

 

[blz]

breast is lytic and blastic. don't know if you wanna count that

 

[BlondeCookie]

breast is lytic and blastic. don't know if you wanna count that

Sorry for asking a stupid question that I should look up in Robbins, but can you or anyone expand up that a little bit more? I don't totally understand the pathophysiology of cancer (in general) well enough to differentiate when a cancer will or will not spread to the bone or lymph nodes or elsewhere.

 

[blz]

Sorry for asking a stupid question that I should look up in Robbins, but can you or anyone expand up that a little bit more? I don't totally understand the pathophysiology of cancer (in general) well enough to differentiate when a cancer will or will not spread to the bone or lymph nodes or elsewhere.

in general, carcinomas go to lymph nodes first before hematogenous spread. sarcomas are generally hematogenous spread first. of course there are exceptions like renal ca, hepatocelluar ca, follicular ca of thyroid, etc.

breast cancer gets to bone pretty easily via batson's plexus which connects the vena cava to the vertebral bodies. it also gets to the brain via this route (among other routes too).

prostate gets to bone via the pelvic veins that drain into batson's plexus.


it probably doesn't make much sense to really memorize the pathways of spread but to know the general rules and how they could be tested. like a carcinoma in the breast could necessitate surgical removal of the lymph nodes, but a sarcoma of the breast would not need lymph node removal. most of this is just mindless memorization - check the path section of FA, it's all in there.

 

[BlondeCookie]

in general, carcinomas go to lymph nodes first before hematogenous spread. sarcomas are generally hematogenous spread first. of course there are exceptions like renal ca, hepatocelluar ca, follicular ca of thyroid, etc.

breast cancer gets to bone pretty easily via batson's plexus which connects the vena cava to the vertebral bodies. it also gets to the brain via this route (among other routes too).

prostate gets to bone via the pelvic veins that drain into batson's plexus.


it probably doesn't make much sense to really memorize the pathways of spread but to know the general rules and how they could be tested. like a carcinoma in the breast could necessitate surgical removal of the lymph nodes, but a sarcoma of the breast would not need lymph node removal. most of this is just mindless memorization - check the path section of FA, it's all in there.

Great info and tips. Thanks very much 🙂