What is the effect of Breast Cancer on other body organs?
As with any cancer, the general effects on the body will include; -Weight loss, fatigue, loss of appetite As breast cancer spreads to the lymph nodes under the arm(axillary), then bone, lungs, chest wall, liver and even brain, one may experience the following effects. – lump and pain under the arm – shortness of breath, coughing up blood (haemoptysis), a fixed wheeze on inspiration (breathing in) – pain in the chest wall – If there is liver spread (metastasis), there can be a mass effect, or disruption of liver functions such as bile production, enzymes, clotting factors and glucose control – And if it spreads to the brain, the patient may start to have headaches due to the mass effect In other types of cancers, a ‘Paraneoplastic syndrome’ may occur, which basically means, the cancer makes hormones that it shouldn’t be making, that may cause bone breakdown, increase in fat in the stomach and back of neck and other wider body dysfunction.
