Nancy Jill's Cancer Alphabet: B

B is for Bones. When you think of breast cancer do you think of bones? You probably think of more visible body parts. When breast cancer metastasizes one of the first places it reaches is the bone. Large dense bones are particularly susceptible to breast cancer metastases as are the vertebrae of the spine. Once cancer has reached the bones, they are much weaker and can be susceptible to fractures and pain. I’m very lucky that my bones look relatively strong and I don’t have any pain from my bone metastases. But many women need daily painkillers just to function. Breast cancer that has traveled to the bone is still breast cancer. It does not become bone cancer once it establishes itself there.

Even without metastatic disease, bones are affected by breast cancer treatment. Chemotherapy destroys bone marrow, resulting in anemia and neutropenia, both of which can be bad enough to require hospitalization. The long term drugs used to treat cancer and prevent recurrence can cause bone and joint pain (something I do struggle with), and can result in weakened bones requiring additional medications to prevent osteoporosis. Ironically, these same drugs that prevent or treat osteoporosis can result in atypical fractures that are difficult to treat. You can see that once you have breast cancer, bone concerns can become a major part of daily life. #Metavivor #mbc #pinktober