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What cancers are most likely to spread to the brain?

Any cancer can spread to the brain, but the types most likely to cause brain metastases are lung, breast, colon, kidney and melanoma. Brain metastases may form one tumor or many tumors in the brain.

mayoclinic.org - Brain metastases - Symptoms and causes - Mayo Clinic

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Overview

Brain metastases Open pop-up dialog box Close Brain metastases Brain metastases Brain metastases happen when cancer begins elsewhere in the body and spreads (metastasizes) to the brain. Brain metastases occur when cancer cells spread from their original site to the brain. Any cancer can spread to the brain, but the types most likely to cause brain metastases are lung, breast, colon, kidney and melanoma. Brain metastases may form one tumor or many tumors in the brain. As the metastatic brain tumors grow, they create pressure on and change the function of surrounding brain tissue. This causes signs and symptoms, such as headache, personality changes, memory loss and seizures. Treatment for people whose cancer has spread to the brain may include surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, immunotherapy or a combination of treatments. Other treatments might be recommended in certain situations. Treatment is often focused on reducing pain and symptoms resulting from the cancer.

Symptoms

Signs and symptoms caused by brain metastases can vary based on the location, size and rate of growth of the metastatic tumors.

Signs and symptoms of brain metastases include:

Headache, sometimes with vomiting or nausea

Mental changes, such as increasing memory problems

Seizures

Weakness or numbness on one side of the body

When to see a doctor

Make an appointment with your doctor if you have persistent signs and symptoms that concern you. If you've been treated for cancer in the past, tell your doctor about your medical history. There is a problem with information submitted for this request. Review/update the information highlighted below and resubmit the form. Get the latest brain tumor advice from Mayo Clinic delivered in your inbox. Sign up for free and receive the latest on brain tumor treatment, diagnosis and surgery. Email address ErrorEmail field is required ErrorInclude a valid email address Subscribe Learn more about Mayo Clinic’s use of data. To provide you with the most relevant and helpful information, and understand which information is beneficial, we may combine your email and website usage information with other information we have about you. If you are a Mayo Clinic patient, this could include protected health information. If we combine this information with your protected health information, we will treat all of that information as protected health information and will only use or disclose that information as set forth in our notice of privacy practices. You may opt-out of email communications at any time by clicking on the unsubscribe link in the e-mail. Thank you for subscribing You will receive the first brain tumor email in your inbox shortly, which will include information on treatment, diagnosis, surgery and how brain cancer teams at Mayo Clinic approach personalized care. Sorry something went wrong with your subscription Please, try again in a couple of minutes Retry

Causes

Brain metastases occur when cancer cells break away from their original location. The cells may travel through the bloodstream or the lymph system and spread (metastasize) to the brain where they begin to multiply. Metastatic cancer that spreads from its original location is known by the name of the primary cancer. For example, cancer that has spread from the breast to the brain is called metastatic breast cancer, not brain cancer.

Risk factors

Any type of cancer can spread to the brain, but some types of cancer are more likely to cause brain metastases, including:

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What bones does cancer spread to first?

Bone metastasis can occur in any bone but more commonly occurs in the spine, pelvis and thigh. Bone metastasis may be the first sign that you have cancer, or bone metastasis may occur years after cancer treatment.

mayoclinic.org - Bone metastasis - Symptoms and causes - Mayo Clinic

Overview

Bone metastasis occurs when cancer cells spread from their original site to a bone. Nearly all types of cancer can spread (metastasize) to the bones. But some types of cancer are particularly likely to spread to bone, including breast cancer and prostate cancer. Bone metastasis can occur in any bone but more commonly occurs in the spine, pelvis and thigh. Bone metastasis may be the first sign that you have cancer, or bone metastasis may occur years after cancer treatment. Bone metastasis can cause pain and broken bones. With rare exceptions, cancer that has spread to the bones can't be cured. Treatments can help reduce pain and other symptoms of bone metastases.

Symptoms

Sometimes, bone metastasis causes no signs and symptoms.

When it does occur, signs and symptoms of bone metastasis include:

Bone pain

Broken bones

Urinary incontinence

Bowel incontinence

Weakness in the legs or arms

High levels of calcium in the blood (hypercalcemia), which can cause nausea, vomiting, constipation and confusion

When to see a doctor

If you experience persistent signs and symptoms that worry you, make an appointment with your doctor. If you've been treated for cancer in the past, tell your doctor about your medical history and that you're concerned about your signs and symptoms.

Causes

Bone metastasis occurs when cancer cells break away from the original tumor and spread to the bones, where they begin to multiply. Doctors aren't sure what causes some cancers to spread. And it's not clear why some cancers travel to the bones rather than to other common sites for metastasis, such as the liver.

Risk factors

Virtually any type of cancer can spread to the bones, but the cancers most likely to cause bone metastasis include:

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