Spinal cancer symptoms??
I would like to know if anyone has experienced severe rectal pain and burning and then diagnosed with spinal mets. I had ILC in the left breast and had a mastectomy in January 2023. I had radiation in May and June 2023. There was spread to one node. I was placed on Anastrozole, changed to Exemestane and then finally to letrazole. The changes were due to side effects. Unfortunately, I did not do well on it, so I really not been on it much this past year. On and off quite a bit. Which of course I’m kicking myself for now.
The past two months I’ve been having increasing pain in my rectum, which I thought was due to hemorrhoids. I had also been having some constipation issues. I did see a colorectal surgeon. I said I did have internal hemorrhoids, but did not think the pain was related to them. So now in the past two weeks, I’ve developed lower back pain with sciatic pain, radiating down both legs. The rectal pain is horrible with constant burning and the sensation of a bulge. Burning in the area as well. Walking and sitting are so painful.
I had gotten a Cortizone shot to my right hip for arthritis in early November and it seems like since then everything has just cascaded. I want to see the orthopedic doctor last week who ordered an MRI of the lumbar spine. I will be having this done in a couple of days.
I would like to know if anyone has had these symptoms and then subsequently diagnosed with spine Mets. I am spiraling down with worry. I have read that these symptoms are very common with spine Mets and that breast cancer commonly spreads to the spine.
Thank you for any feedback.
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Oh dear Sonya, how awful for you to be having these concerns during the holiday season! I was also unable to tolerate side effects from the aromatase inhibitors. Do not berate yourself for intermittent adherence. Have you been using any rectal treatment such as Preparation H?
Straining due to constipation can aggravate hemorrhoids. As a retired pharmacist, I suggest taking a stool softener like docusate 100mg twice a day. It’s possible the steroid injection helped relieve the inflammation temporarily. But then, as it wore off, things had gotten worse.
My spine mets showed on an x-ray after 3 weeks of back pain. The 1st vertebra in my lumbar spine was destroyed by tumor. After surgery, I had 3 years of stability. It’s true that BC often spreads to bone initially. Best wishes for relief as you get the MRI & further treatment.
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thank you for your response vlnrph, I really appreciate you getting back to my post. Did you have rectal pain with that tumor? And pain going down both your legs? This feeling like something‘s always bulging there is driving me crazy along with the rectal pain and burning. It also feels like something is bulging in the perineal area as I think I may have mentioned. It just gets confusing on how to address this, but I will be getting the MRI of the lumbar spine tomorrow. Unfortunately, being a Friday afternoon I’m sure I won’t hear anything until the middle of next week. I’m really trying not to get too freaked out about it because if it is the cancer, I’ll just have to address it.
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Yes, waiting for imaging results over the weekend (especially during holiday time when staff may be off on vacation) greatly increases “scan-xiety”! No rectal pain when my metastatic disease was brewing but I couldn’t walk. Had to crawl from bed/sofa to the bathroom…
Prior to cancer diagnosis, I had a herniated disc in my back which resulted from twisting with a loaded snow shovel. The sciatica like numbness just went down one side. Physical therapy didn’t help so I got a series of spinal steroid injections that worked.
Just noticed that your breast tumors were bilateral, both left & right. Has anyone recommended genetic counseling? My 2 lesions, of different pathology, made me wonder how frequently that occurs. Apparently not often. You’ve proven your strength & will do what needs to happen.
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vlnrph, any other symptoms before not being able to walk? Was that gradual or a sudden onset? What other treatments did you receive for the spinal tumor other than surgery?
I did have cancer in both breasts; my left breast was ILC and quite large. It was larger than they realized when we started off with a lumpectomy and then had to go back and do a mastectomy. Evidently there were some smaller satellite tumors that had grown out from the larger one that couldn’t be seen on imaging. The right breast had a very small Mucinous cancer that was only visible with MRI imaging. I also had different pathologies in each breast. I remember the surgeon was surprised that there was a different cancer in each one.
No one has suggested genetic counseling. It would be interesting to see how often that has occurred.0 -
My back pain came on quite suddenly. I went to urgent care twice and saw my internist’s nurse practitioner but no one had a high enough suspicion for metastatic disease. The NP actually told me there would be no imaging until I had symptoms for 6 weeks…
Since we have an orthopedic group near our house with a walk/limp in clinic, I went there. The 2nd time, I finally got an x-ray and immediately recognized metastatic disease. After my big surgery (5 level fusion), I had radiation then ablation & vertebroplasty of a couple other spots.
Cement was injected into weak areas of my thoracic spine by an interventional radiologist. I also had IV bisphosphonate therapy for 3 years to strengthen my bones, monthly at first. ILC can be sneaky but it was my IDC tumor which could not be seen by mammogram. MRI found it.
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okay so my back pain came on suddenly also about three weeks ago. If anything it has been getting worse. Heaviness in my legs and buttocks is bad today as well as nerve pain down my legs. And constant pain in center of lower back. And of course the rectal pain which is non stop. Very worried. Never had this. MRI lumbar spine today.
Do you know what kind of cancer it was they found in your back? Was it the ILC? I’m getting pretty freaked out. When I think about it which is most of the time now because I’m always in pain, I don’t know what else it could be as I’ve had no injury at all. Didn’t even twist my back at all.
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@sonya16 My ductal cancer metastasized to bone then liver, typical spots for it to go. Lobular can show up in GI tract, etc. Once I had the x-ray done at the orthopedic clinic, a rush was on to be admitted to the hospital and get an MRI. They didn’t want a shard severing my spinal cord.
So, I was on bed rest there almost a week while a surgical team was assembled. Then I was in recovery mode for even longer. Spent both my wedding anniversary & birthday there. One of the worst things is not having a diagnosis. Once that’s in place, you can get moving, so to speak.
Hopefully, your scan results will come in soon and a plan can be developed. I suspect that a CDK 4/6 inhibitor may be in your future along with a different kind of estrogen blocker from the AIs, injectable Faslodex=fulvestrant. It goes into each hip every month. I used it for over 4 years.
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what is a CDK 4/6 inhibitor? And what other estrogen blockers are there other than AI’s? And the injectable? What does that do?
the pain and burning in my rectum and pressure is so bad today. Even laying down but walking/standing is so much worse.0 -
The CDK 4/6 inhibitor class of oral agents were introduced to the pharmaceutical market several years ago and have extended the survival of metastatic breast cancer patients, nearly doubled it for me. First to come out was Ibrance (generic name palbociclib) followed by Kisqali & Verzenio.
More accurately described as an estrogen receptor degrader, Faslodex/fulvestrant is an injectable alternative to AIs such as Arimidex=anastrazole, letrozole, and exemestane. Equal amounts go into each hip every 4 weeks. It’s highly effective in keeping ER+ under control.
Have you tried any medication for the pain & burning? If you phone the physician on call for your doctor, perhaps they can provide a prescription. They might also suggest you go to an urgent care center to be evaluated. Please don’t suffer any longer before attempting to get relief.
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thank you for explaining those medications to me. How are the side effects from them? And how are you doing on them? my oncologist did want me to take the Verzenio with me letrozole but I never did. Obviously I didn’t even stay on the letrazole as I should have. I don’t know why I thought I would’ve had it beaten.
I have been laying on my side all afternoon, and the pain is bearable. I’m going to call a colorectal surgeon that I saw once to please see me tomorrow. And hopefully the MRI results will be done. The only issue with that is that I had used a different medical group rather than the one that I use for everything else associated with the cancer. And the group I used for the MRI has a really lousy portal system where they don’t give you any results. I’d rather know the answer to that before I go to the colorectal surgeon, but I really can’t put that off in case it does have to do with hemorrhoids or the like. But I never heard of hemorrhoids hurting and burning so badly that one can’t even walk.0 -
Hi @sonya16 . My mbc spread to my upper spine, before my biopsy. The level of pain in a weirdly spongy area encircling my upper spine is what finally motivated me to go to the emergency room. X-rays confirmed the mbc, the biopsy in 2019 confirmed the rest.
I can't share experiences with the lower spinal area, or the rectum. But I can say that the mbc continued to grow and fracture my spine in several places (3-4), to which I responded, basically, by laying in bed for 8 months in 2021 while eating red meat and drinking fresh milk. Cravings I respected. The fractures then healed. Today, sciatica in my right arm comes and goes, and exercise like swinging my arm and lifting it up and down seems to alleviate the pinched nerves - from bones or tumors, I don't know. No more back pain.
In fact, it seems that the more I move my body, the harder it is for the cancer to spread. If you are able, try exercises for your legs. Lay flat on your back with your knees bent, if and when possible. Get some good opioids (basic cancer care includes Tramadol) for your pain. (Don't get addicted!)
I didn't pursue any further surgical/chemo medical care for my primary or secondary mbc - it was too late. So, I can't offer any advice there.
Are the test results available yet?
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thank you for your message pemala. You breast cancer had already spread before your biopsy? The spine cancer was found before the breast cancer?
I am trying to get the results of my lumbar spine mri but nothing yet. I very worried since this pain gets worse every day. Trying to get the doctors moving on this so I can get answers is so frustrating.
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Sonya,
I am sorry that you are in pain. I understand how debilitating that can be. Not the most important thing at the moment, but for clarity, do you mean you think your bc has spread to your spine when you say spinal cancer? That would still be breast cancer if that’s the case. Regardless of where breast cancer spreads, it is still breast cancer , is treated as such and referred to as such, i.e. bc that spreads to the lungs is still bc, not lung cancer, but bc with lung metastasis. Take care
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exbrnxgrl, yes I did mean that I am concerned that the breast cancer had spread to the spine thank you for that clarification
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