Metastatic Adenocarcinoma
Metastatic adenocarcinoma occurs when tumors form in the glands lining your lungs and spread through the body. It’s harder to treat because of cancer spread, but options like chemotherapy, radiation, immunotherapy, and more can help you live longer with metastatic adenocarcinoma. Learn more below.
What Is Metastatic Adenocarcinoma?
Adenocarcinoma is a common type of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), and in many cases, patients are diagnosed after metastasis (tumor spread) has occurred.
Adenocarcinoma cancer develops in glandular linings of organs like the lungs. Lung adenocarcinoma that metastasizes can reach areas far beyond the lungs, including the bones, brain, liver, and more.
Metastatic adenocarcinoma is considered stage 4 lung cancer due to the spread of tumors throughout the body.
Metastatic adenocarcinoma cancer can be challenging to treat due to tumor spread. However, options like chemotherapy, radiation, targeted therapy, and immunotherapy have all shown promise.
In some cases, patients with metastatic lung adenocarcinoma have gone on to live for 10 years or more depending on how they respond to different therapies.
Get our Free Lung Cancer Guide now to find treatments that may help you or a loved one with metastatic adenocarcinoma live longer.
- Understand risk factors
- Find top treatments
- Pursue compensation
How Metastatic Adenocarcinoma Lung Cancer Spreads
Adenocarcinoma cancer cells can break off from a tumor and enter the bloodstream or lymphatic system. This allows them to spread through the body. Lung cancer metastasis means that these cells have formed new tumors in areas far away from the lungs.
Metastatic lung adenocarcinoma can affect the:
- Adrenal glands
- Brain
- Bones
- Liver
- Lymph nodes
- Mediastinum (space between lungs)
In fact, lung cancer can metastasize anywhere in the body, according to Moffitt Cancer Center. Where metastatic adenocarcinoma tumors end up forming has a big impact on a patient’s treatment plan and health outlook.
Symptoms of Metastatic Adenocarcinoma
Many patients don’t experience any symptoms of adenocarcinoma until the cancer has started to spread. Which lung cancer symptoms appear depend on where the metastatic adenocarcinoma tumors have reached.
Symptoms of metastatic adenocarcinoma cancer include:
- Abdominal pain
- Chest pain
- Constipation
- Coughing
- Fatigue
- Loss of appetite
- Nausea and vomiting
- Nerve compression and pain in cases of bone metastasis
- Seizures
- Shortness of breath
- Vision problems, headaches, and confusion from brain metastasis
- Weight loss
If you or a loved one is suffering from potential symptoms of metastatic adenocarcinoma, see a doctor immediately and let them know of your concerns.
Diagnosing Metastatic Adenocarcinoma
Doctors can use different tests to help diagnose lung cancers like adenocarcinoma and determine if metastasis has occurred.
Metastatic adenocarcinoma can be diagnosed using:
- Blood tests: While your blood cannot show the specific type of cancer you have, it can show signs that there is cancer present, such as elevated levels of enzymes or white blood cells.
- Imaging tests: Ultrasounds, X-rays, CT scans, and MRIs can show abnormalities within the body, such as tumors in your organs and surrounding tissues.
- Biopsies: A tissue sample is removed and tested for cancer cells by a pathologist. This is the only way to confirm if you have adenocarcinoma or any other type of cancer.
Once your doctor has confirmed your adenocarcinoma diagnosis, they may recommend more scans of the brain, bones, and abdomen to check for metastasis in those areas.
Your doctor may also suggest genetic testing after a diagnosis to make informed choices about your treatment plan. For example, if your adenocarcinoma is positive for the protein TTF-1, it could respond better to treatments like chemotherapy.
Call (877) 446-5767 if you were diagnosed with metastatic adenocarcinoma. We may be able to help you access compensation for treatment expenses.
Treatment for Metastatic Adenocarcinoma
Doctors can use a wide range of lung cancer treatments to help patients with metastatic adenocarcinoma potentially live longer and ease uncomfortable symptoms.
Treatment options for metastatic adenocarcinoma include:
- Chemotherapy: These medications circulate through the body to kill cancer cells. Chemotherapy is often one of the first treatments used for metastatic adenocarcinoma.
- Radiation therapy: This treatment uses beams of energy to destroy tumors. It’s often combined with chemotherapy for best results. Doctors can also administer radiation to treat bone and brain metastases.
- Immunotherapy: This type of therapy improves the immune system’s response to cancer. It may be used along with chemotherapy to improve survival times for patients. For example, chemotherapy and immunotherapy helped patients with advanced adenocarcinoma live for over 1 year in a 2023 ESMO Open report.
- Targeted therapy: These drugs target cancer cells directly while limiting damage to healthy tissues. One metastatic adenocarcinoma patient was cancer-free for 18 months thanks to targeted therapy and other treatments.
- Palliative care: This includes any type of treatment designed to relieve pain rather than improve survival. Palliative options may be used alongside life-extending therapies or could be the main type of treatment used depending on the patient.
- Clinical trials: If a patient doesn’t respond to traditional treatments, they may benefit from new ones being studied in trials. For example, doctors in New York and Virginia are testing a treatment called abemaciclib in patients who have metastatic adenocarcinoma lacking the MTAP gene.
Lung cancer surgeries are typically not used for metastatic adenocarcinoma since doctors won’t be able to remove all of the tumors. However, other treatments can all greatly help improve length and quality of life, according to the National Cancer Institute (NCI).
“Patients nowadays are living longer and longer because of multiple lines of treatment.”
— Dr. Mark A. Socinski, lung cancer doctor
Factors like the patient’s age, overall health, and more affect which treatments they can receive for metastatic adenocarcinoma.
Metastatic Adenocarcinoma Prognosis
Because metastatic adenocarcinoma is advanced, it has a less favorable prognosis (health outlook) than early-stage lung cancer. Most patients live for 1 year or less.
However, in rare cases, some patients can live for a decade or more if their cancer responds well to treatment.
Metastatic Adenocarcinoma Survival Rate
Survival rate is the percentage of patients still living a set number of years after a diagnosis. Explore lung cancer survival rates for metastatic adenocarcinoma below.
| Years After Diagnosis | Metastatic Adenocarcinoma Survival Rate |
|---|---|
| 2 Years | 25% |
| 5 Years | Under 5% |
Some patients could outlive these survival rates thanks to different treatment options.
Metastatic Adenocarcinoma Life Expectancy
Life expectancy measures the average amount of time patients with lung cancer live for. The average life expectancy is over 1 year for metastatic adenocarcinoma, but each case is unique.
Factors like response to treatment, overall health, and more all play a role in how long a patient will live for.
“Some people just don’t respond to treatment, and have a short time, which could be just a few months. And some people have very good responses to treatment and live for a number of years. I have metastatic lung cancer patients that I’ve been caring for for over 10 years.”
— Dr. Heather Wakelee, lung cancer specialist
Compensation Options for Metastatic Adenocarcinoma
Metastatic adenocarcinoma and other types of lung cancer can be incredibly expensive to treat. For lung cancer patients at the end of life, costs can reach over $100,000, according to the medical network City of Hope.
However, you and your family may qualify for lung cancer compensation to help afford the expenses you now face.
Compensation options for metastatic adenocarcinoma patients include:
- Lung cancer lawsuits: These lawsuits allow you to pursue payouts for medical bills, lost wages if you can’t work, and much more. Some lung cancer lawsuits have awarded over $1 million.
- Wrongful death lawsuit: You may qualify to file this type of lawsuit if a family member passed away from metastatic adenocarcinoma. Wrongful death compensation can help cover funeral costs and lingering medical expenses.
- Asbestos trust funds: Manufacturers of asbestos-containing products hid the fact that asbestos exposure could lead to adenocarcinoma and other types of lung cancer. You may qualify for some of the $30 billion available in trust funds if you were exposed to asbestos and now have adenocarcinoma.
- VA benefits: You may be eligible for disability compensation from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) if you’re a veteran with lung cancer. Disability benefits pay out over $4,000 a month.
Get a free case review now from our team to explore lung cancer compensation options that you may qualify for.
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Get Help for Metastatic Adenocarcinoma
Knowing that you or a loved one has metastatic adenocarcinoma can bring a lot of stress. While it’s an advanced cancer, remember that treatments can help ease symptoms and potentially improve survival.
Lung Cancer Group can walk with your family after a metastatic adenocarcinoma diagnosis.
Our team will help you:
- Find out more about lung cancer treatments
- Pursue financial compensation for your expenses
- Receive support during this difficult time
Get our Free Lung Cancer Guide now or call (877) 446-5767 and see all the ways we can assist you and your family members.
Metastatic Adenocarcinoma FAQs
What is metastatic adenocarcinoma?
Metastatic adenocarcinoma indicates that this type of cancer has spread to distant parts outside of the lungs into areas like the bones, brain, liver, and more.
While knowing you have metastatic adenocarcinoma can be scary, long-term survival may potentially be possible with treatment.
What is the survival rate for adenocarcinoma?
The 5-year survival rate for metastatic lung adenocarcinoma is less than 5 years, according to a 2023 study. While this is less favorable than early-stage cancer, it may be possible to live a long time with advanced adenocarcinoma depending on your treatment plan.
Contact our team now for help finding and affording treatments that could help you outlive the metastatic adenocarcinoma survival rate.
How aggressive is adenocarcinoma cancer?
Adenocarcinoma cancer of the lung is very aggressive when it has metastasized. By this point, the cancer has spread to other areas of the body like the liver, bones, or brain, making it harder to treat.
That said, doctors can recommend the best treatments in your case to help you live as long as possible with metastatic adenocarcinoma.
At what stage is cancer metastatic?
Stage 4 adenocarcinoma is considered metastatic. Metastasis indicates that the tumors have spread to distant parts of the body, like the brain or liver.
Stage 4 metastatic adenocarcinoma cancer is hard to treat and surgery may no longer be an option. Speak with your doctor to learn about therapies that may help you or someone you love.
Is metastatic adenocarcinoma stage 3?
No, metastatic adenocarcinoma is not stage 3 lung cancer. Stage 3 lung cancer has spread to the lungs, nearby lymph nodes, and other nearby organs but is still contained to the chest.
This makes it easier to treat than metastatic lung cancer, which has reached distant organs in addition to the lungs.
Call (877) 446-5767 for help affording treatments for any stage of lung adenocarcinoma, if eligible.
Is metastatic adenocarcinoma terminal?
Metastatic adenocarcinoma is terminal in many cases, but not always. Some patients have lived for over 10 years with metastatic cancer thanks to aggressive treatments.
Ask your lung cancer doctor about therapies that could help improve your metastatic adenocarcinoma survival time.
