why did my brother get blastoid mantle cell lymphoma

John, This is such sad and distressing news about your brother. Especially after having gone through the removal of his prostate, only to discover he now has another form of cancer in the same year. You’re wondering how this new cancer developed so fast.
Most likely this didn’t happen quickly. There’s the possibility that your bother’s prostate cancer metastasized. This allows cancer cells to spread to his lymph nodes and take off from there. It wasn’t until the cancerous cells reached a certain level of development that the symptoms became apparent.

I found a very informational article from MedicineNet that might help you understand what may have happened with your brother.
~ How Quickly Does Prostate Cancer Spread?
https://www.medicinenet.com/how_quickly_does_prostate_cancer_spread/article.htm
My heart goes out to your entire family at this difficult time. I’ve been through similar with family members and what I’ve learned is that hospice will keep your brother comfortable. But it’s equally important for family to spend time with your bother, share stories and memories to keep his spirits up. Also treat him conversations beyond his cancer diagnosis. Not everything has to be morose and centered on his condition. Have tissues handy because there will be tears but there can also be laughter. Does your brother have a large family? Grandchildren?

Oh I am so sorry. I don't know the answer to this.

@loribmt
My brother is 68 yrs old and has 4 kids, the youngest is a downs boy (age 24)
1 grand daughter age 4, with a second sue any day now.
I don’t recall if he had a scan in the months after surgery. But, he was recovering and doing well on Sept 11.

@john5398 I’m so sorry, John. Cancer just stinks and every family is impacted the planet over. I know how quickly it can hit and just clip us off at the knees. I had my own cancer journey several years ago. I felt in perfect health, even tramping through miles of deep snow on snowshoes until 3 weeks before I was gravely ill and rushed to the hospital. It ‘hit’ me that quickly, though brewing for months before hand.
It’s especially hard to lose someone as young as your brother, leaving kids and grandchildren behind. At 68 he was robbed of many more years of life but sadly, cancer doesn’t play fair. Thinking of you and your family during this difficult time ahead, with a gentle hug.

@loribmt
Thank you for sharing your experience. My wife had breast cancer which was said to be going on for 7 yrs. However, her breast exam 4 months earlier did not show the stage 4 progression that was identified.
My youngest brother died in 2020 of a rare prostate cancer. each type of treatments slowed the cancer in one spot but it metastasized to other spots. 14 month average life
ended up with less than 12 months.
I am the oldest of 4.

@john5398 You’re certainly no stranger to the heartbreak and devastation of cancer. That disease, in all its various forms, can be so sneaky and unpredictable. Even in my own journey, knowing the key things to look for on blood work now, looking back on labs taken 6 months before my diagnosis, showed absolutely no hint of the leukemia odyssey that was about to hit.
I guess if anything, our loss of family members and friends teach us to be vigilant for our own health, to spend time with people we love, do the things we enjoy doing, live in the moment and appreciate every day.

Please don’t be a stranger to the groups here in Connect. Your insight into the cancer journeys of your brothers might be very helpful in the Prostate Cancer support group. Here is a link to that group if you’re interested. We never know who might benefit from what we share! https://connect.mayoclinic.org/group/prostate-cancer/

Has there been any genetic study with your siblings to see if there is a link to a familial cancer trait?

@loribmt Thank you for the link to the prostate dancer group. I will follow up on that.
So far, no genetic studies have been done. My urology nurse practitioner is aware of the immediate family history.

@loribmt Your own path with cancer- did you have family support close by?

I am 300 miles away from my brother, close enough for a day trip to spend a little time maybe one last time with him as his hospice time seems to be nearing its conclusion.

@john5398. My heart goes out to you as you make this journey to visit with your brother. It never gets easier when we know we might be saying ‘see ya’ for the final time. As the youngest in my family, I’ve been through this myself with my brother and sister so I can really empathize with the emotions you’re feeling.
Distance can certainly complicate frequent visits with family. My sister and her family all lived 1,500 miles from me. I was ill at the time of her death so I didn’t even get to the funeral.
You asked about my path with cancer and my support system. There are only 3 of us, my husband, adult daughter and myself. She lives 5 hours from us. But when I was diagnosed and hospitalized for leukemia (on the same day) she offered to come right away. But my husband had her wait…then she came for 2 weeks to stay with him while I was in the local hospital for 5 weeks. Later I was relocated to Mayo-Rochester for 4 months, bringing my husband and I in closer proximity to our daughter. So those two did a bang-up job of tag-teaming so as not to be overwhelmed with caregiving. Independent me became high maintenance for a while. We also have several amazing friends who went out of their way to help out…guess ‘it takes a village’ doesn’t just apply to rearing children.
I know you’ve been through so many sad experiences lately and I’m sorry for yet another possible loss. Do you have other family or children/grandchildren nearby for local support?