If lung cancer is not detected early, it is likely to metastasize and spread to other parts of your body, especially the brain. According to experts, this would mean that the primary cancer has caused secondary cancer in the brain.

According to statistics, about 15-20 percent of adults with non-small cell lung cancer have brain metastasis when they are first diagnosed. Up to 40 percent develop brain metastasis during the lung cancer journey. Doctors say that if you have metastatic lung cancer, the chances of survival are low. However, for those who develop brain metastasis, the outcome can be worse. On average, most people with brain metastasis survive less than 6 months after diagnosis.

What is the connection between brain and lung cancer?,

Doctors say that undetected lung cancer cells spread through lymph nodes and the blood supply to different parts of the body, including the brain. Although this connection is not fully understood, some animal studies suggest that when lung cancer cells reach the brain, they rapidly form blood vessel branches. This gives them the blood supply they need to survive and multiply rapidly. Some other research has also suggested that nicotine from cigarette smoke may also play a role.

According to WebMD, there are also some other theories that suggest targeted treatments for lung cancer don’t usually reach your brain tumors, and that mutation-based cancer cells may also have a genetic predisposition to reach your brain.

Signs and Symptoms of Brain Metastasis

Experts say brain metastasis doesn’t always lead to symptoms. However, if it does, symptoms can be focal — related to a specific part of your brain where the tumor is, or global — everywhere.

Focal symptoms may include the following:

• slurred speech
• blurry vision
• feeling of numbness and weakness
• instability
• Problems talking

However, symptoms of global brain metastasis, which can affect your overall brain function, include:

• Severe headache due to brain swelling
• Decreased memory, attention, and reasoning
• nausea and vomiting
• Difficulty speaking
• Personality changes
• Recovery

According to doctors, you may also have bleeding from the tumor – also known as a hemorrhagic stroke. Bleeding inside the brain is a medical emergency that often requires surgery.

Methods for diagnosing brain metastasis

To diagnose brain metastasis, your doctor will do some tests and exams, such as:

• Neurological tests: Here all your brain functions will be tested, including your vision, hearing, balance, co-ordination, reflexes and strength.
• Imaging tests: It helps detect and diagnose brain tumors with the help of a dye — an injectable ink that’s given into your arm. During the scan, the dye will show up the tissues and blood vessels in your brain more clearly and in more detail.
• CT scan: In many cases, brain metastases are detected before the lung cancer is diagnosed with the help of a CT scan.
• pet scan: This is tested using positron emission tomography (PET).
• Biopsy: If a tumor or mass is found, a small sample is taken with a needle through a procedure called a biopsy to make sure it is metastatic lung cancer. The sample is examined under a microscope to see if the cells are cancerous.

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