when someone has terminal cancer is it organ failure that eventually kills them or something else?

Answer 1

I think that it depends on the type of cancer. My f-i-l has brain/lung cancer and his physician told us that he will likely die in his sleep. He will begin to sleep more and more and one day just will not wake up.

While I'm not a physician, I think that this is probably the scenario for most. Prior to the emergence of Hospice care, most were hospitalized when the cancer became terminal and were in a drug-induced fog at the end. This was the case with my aunt, who saw birds and butterflies flying around the room because she had so much morphine in her system. I believe that the pain killers accelerated her demise by depressing her system.

Good Luck!

Answer 2

You are asking for the final physiologic derangements that causes someone to cease living. This varies widely for each patient, and in many if not most cases is not precisely definable. Some cancers erode into a blood vessel, some metastasize and rob the body of the nutrients and resources it needs, some cause infection. Some invade so many organs they all shut down, or rupture. Some invade the bone marrow and cause anemia and lowering of the immune response.

In summary, no one knows what exactly will happen in any individual case. Only rarely even when they do die, is it defined then.

Answer 3

It's the cancer as the primary cause followed by secondary cause such as lung failure, heart congestion, etc.

What usually happens is the cancer invades so many places or so severely in 1 place that the body can't function, oxygen won't get to the lungs if it's lung cancer, the lungs can't get the carbon dioxide out, they fill with fluids, then lastly as the organs shut down, fluid builds behind the heart stopping it.

Answer 4

I think it depends on where and what kind of cancer. My mother in law passed away 6 months ago from lung cancer. Her lungs were completly taken over by the tumor "cancer". The tumor also put pressure on her heart wich could have caused a heart attack. But she did pass because of the mass in her lung cutting off her oxygen, wich put strain on her heart and caused the heart to stop beating.

Answer 5

There are many types of cancer, and some do lead to organ failure. I have experienced a few friends and relatives who have died of various forms of cancer, ie, stomach, lung, and they have died through massive hemorrhage, very quickly, when the tumours burst.

Answer 6

its basically the cancer invading the organs that causes the organ failure...for example..you can have lung cancer and in time it metatisizes to your bones(inside,on etc) or it can metatisize in your liver and it usually will travel to many organs....the organs and other body systems begin to fail that ultimately lead to death. I lost both parents to cancer..my dad to pancreatic which had spread to his kidneys,liver,lungs and my mom had multiple myeloma(cancer of red blood cells) her's traveled to her heart and kidneys...both were misdiagnosed and when finally diagnosed correctly it was too late to start any treatments....

Answer 7

some good answers here as I too have lost family members to cancer. It just wastes you and there is no cure unless it's diagnosed early and what kind it is. Cancer and heart attack are still the two leading killers and have been forever.

Answer 8

depends on the cancer type. and later on the complications that arise.
some people just waste away and the organs do shut down, my father died from a tumor that crushed his kidneys and caused the uremic poisoning that destroyed his brain and killed him.
it really depends

Answer 9

Organ Failure Cancer

Answer 10

yes it is because the body is shutting down