The four most common sites formetastasesare the bones, lungs, liver, and brain.
Metastasis is the singular form of metastases.
Around 40% of cases involve a single lung tumor, while the rest involve multiple tumors.
Verywell / Brianna Gilmartin
Cigarette smoking adds to the risk.
The invasion comes up whenever cancer cells inlymph nodesbreak free and circulate through thelymphatic systemto the liver.
Many cases are asymptomatic and will only manifest with symptoms when a person developsacute hepatitis(liver inflammation).
Symptoms of liver metastases include:
In severe cases, liver metastases can cause acuteliver failureand death.
In addition to standardchemotherapy, localized chemotherapy may be used to treat the metastases specifically.
It mainly affects those with aggressive forms of breast cancer, includingHER2-positiveortriple-negative breast cancer.
Brain metastases may cause neurological and psychiatric symptoms depending on which part of the brain is affected.
Left untreated, brain metastases secondary to brain cancer have a survival time of roughly one month.
When fluid builds up between the membranes lining the heart, your heart has to work harder.
The heart rate usually speeds up to make up for the smaller volume the heart is pumping out.
Treatments are available for stage 4 breast cancer, ranging from chemotherapy to radiation and surgery.
While these cannot cure cancer, they may extend disease-free survival.
Penn Medicine.Metastatic (stage 4) breast cancer.
National Breast Cancer Foundation.Stage 4 breast cancer overview.
2017;34(4):322-327. doi:10.1055/s-0037-1608703
Susan G. Komen.Bone metastases and metastatic breast cancer.
2019;11(3).
doi:10.3390/cancers11030329
American Cancer Society.Lung metastases.
2014;12(1):18-28. doi:10.1016/j.ejcsup.2014.03.002
