How Long Do People With Grade 4 Terminal Cancer Have Left To Live?
My friend has been diagnosed with terminal cancer… i don’t really know anything about it!
All i’ve been told is that they had the worst type of brain tumor possible, so big that they couldn’t remove all of it.
They said it was a grade 4? a rare cancer
and they now have to have radiotherapy etc.
I was just wondering does anyone know how long people with this type of cancer usually live?
tinfoil_ said,
December 26, 2009 @ 7:27 am
Sorry to hear this. It’s impossible to say for certain how much time your friend may have left as it depends on the individual and how they respond to treatment and how fast the tumour is growing…probably months to a year, but maybe more. When a cure isn’t possible, there’s still a lot that can be done to help a patient though…radiotherapy and sometimes chemotherapy are used to shrink the tumour and help a patient’s symptoms, basically to help them keep as well as possible for as long as possible.
Dave said,
December 26, 2009 @ 8:01 am
If any answerer gives an amount of time then they are wrong. It sounds like your friend is still getting treated for cancer. I have friends that have stage four cancer and has had it for a long time 7 years.
It just moves around in her body and she is doing fine realizing this is her new life. She takes every day one at a time and is enjoying every one with her family.
Of course she would like to be rid of the treatments and multiple hospital visits, but she is coping. It literally had done a full circle in her body started in her colon, then to her lungs, and now it is back in her colon.
So the truth is, nobody knows. You should just cherish the time you have with them and not concentrate so much on how long she has left. Who knows, you could leave the earth before her and you were worried about her.
I take every day as a gift. I try and do the most I can with each one, and I appreciate everything I do every day, and that includes washing the dishes and doing the bathrooms.
So begin new memories with your friend. I am sure she could use the escape. If they are on chemotherapy do things a day before their treatment, it is when they have the most energy.
Proud American said,
December 26, 2009 @ 2:54 pm
Sorry for you and your friend. There really is no way for us to answer this. Not even her doctor can answer this. Everyone is different. It really depends on the type of brain tumor she has and how fast it is growing.
But enjoy her friendship while you can. Relish in the time she does have and try to not focus on the time she doesn’t.
WP Autoblog Software said,
December 26, 2009 @ 4:47 pm
well usually about a month to 4 months, I’ve known 2 people with brain tumours and once they became terminal (one of them had 2 operations but the tumour came back a third time) and they lived about 3 months and the other with no operation about a month from what I remember.
How old is the person?
hezzy_98 said,
December 26, 2009 @ 5:58 pm
No one ever knows how long someone has once they have reached stage four cancer. ONC Dr’s can only give an educated guess.
Depending on treatment options and what type of cancer the person has, has a lot to do with it.
Some people have survived brain cancer and gone into remission afterwards
starligh said,
December 26, 2009 @ 10:41 pm
if theyre having treatment are you sure its terminal??
usually terminal patients are given drug pumps for 24hr pain relief , to make them as comfy as they can be until the end.
treatments such as radiotherapy, chemotherapy etc are stopped because they are not curing the tumor or having any effect on it
tanika97 said,
December 27, 2009 @ 4:13 am
Grade 4 tumors tend to grow rapidly and spread faster than tumors with a lower grade, but its very difficult to say how long someone will live, it can be months rather than years.but ut depends on treatment and responding to treatment.
Tien N said,
December 27, 2009 @ 10:12 am
Unfortunately the news isn’t good, probably 4-6 months. My dad had the last level of cancer and he passed in 2 months. Sorry, I hope for the best for you and your friend.
get g said,
December 27, 2009 @ 12:14 pm
Here you can learn a bit on life expectancy for cancer patients: http://the-cancer-disease.com/breast-can…
What kind of cancer does your friend have?
duso said,
December 27, 2009 @ 3:45 pm
in not too sure but my brother in law was told 2 months but he lasted 18 months so it depends on the person , and i,m so sorry for your friend
MICHAEL D said,
December 27, 2009 @ 4:30 pm
A month or a year. Soory to here you bad news.
jokerman said,
December 27, 2009 @ 6:12 pm
months rather than a full year
WP Autoblogging Plugin said,
December 27, 2009 @ 6:27 pm
i’m sorry i don’t know but i send my love and hope things get better for you both. sorry i can’t help more x
diabetes equipment supplies said,
December 27, 2009 @ 11:27 pm
Impossible to say because there are over 200 different types of cancer . . and all are totally different. A stage 4 basically refers to metastatic cancer which has spred through the bodies blood system or lymphatic system . . it is treatable and that treatment can lead to ‘remission’ . .however it is very, very difficult and few can maintain that remission. But stage 4 is not always ‘terminial’ . . so your friend or her doctor may be wrong. She must become her own advocate or someone close to her in order to find the best possible treatment.
She should be treated in a large cancer center that has seen her type of cancer many times before . .that is her best chance for finding a treatment that can bring her disease under ‘control’. In situations where the cancer has become metastatic doctors will often say the cancer is not curable . .but is treatable and can be brought under control (kept small and contained) by using chemotherapy or radiation or surgery or new treatments. Thus the patient can have quality of life and live longer with the cancer under control (much like a diabetic can be treated and live longer than once possible).
So . .just because a patient has a stage IV cancer and the doctor has said ‘no cure’ . doesn’t necessarily mean anyone knows when the patient will die . . it could be a few months or it might mean the patient will outlive the cancer and die from other causes in 20 or 30 years. The key for the patient is to find a treatment or chemo they can tolerate to keep the disease under control while cancer research continues . . if the patient can have good quality of life with treatment than maybe a ‘cure’ or new treatment will come along to extend that life.