Where Does Breast Cancer Spread?
Breast cancer can spread to nearly any organ of the body.
The location ofmetastasescan vary but tends to follow a similar pattern based on the key in of breast cancer.
Verywell / JR Bee
For example:
Cancers metastasize at differenttimes and speeds.
Breast cancer that spreads to the lungs, for example, would not be referred to as lung cancer.
Rather, it would be deemed “breast cancer metastatic to the lungs.”
Get our printable guide for your next doctor’s appointment to help you ask the right questions.
Get our printable guide for your next doctor’s appointment to help you ask the right questions.
Breast Cancer Staging
Cancer stagingis performed to direct treatment and predict the likely outcome, orprognosis.
The staging system most commonly used for breast cancerand most other cancersis called theTNM Classification of Malignant Tumors.
There is no in-between.
Metastatic breast cancers are not all treated the same.
How Is Stage 4 Breast Cancer Treated?
Each person will be treated differently based on the disease characteristics and the intended goals of treatment.
This is because only a handful of people treated at this stage are cured of their disease.
These include:
A combination of therapies may be used, either together or in stages.
Treatment staging involves using a drug until the side effects become intolerable or the cancer starts to grow again.
If this happens, the first-line drug will be switched with a second-line drug, and so on.
The median life expectancy is three years.
Some women will live more than 10 years.
Can Stage 4 Breast Cancer Be Cured?
Stage 4 breast cancer is considered to be incurable.
The primary aim is to keep the cancer from spreading, which requires ongoing monitoring.
Serial blood tumor markers are also used to monitor disease status.
When this happens, a change of treatment can often stabilize the malignancy.
If these no longer work, chemotherapy will be used.
However, each time that cancer progresses during chemo, the chances of the new drug working get lower.
It is at this stage that palliative care may be considered.
It can leave you feeling as if you have no control over your health or future.
These include loved ones,support groups, and your oncology team.
Whatever your experience, don’t go it alone.
Seek support and work with your medical team as a full partner in your care.
The median survival is three years, but some people live 10 years or more after diagnosis.
Treatments can include chemotherapy, radiation, surgery, hormone therapy, and targeted therapy.
2015;32(2):125-133. doi:10.1007/s10585-015-9697-2.
Westphal T, Gampenrieder SP, Rinnerthaler G, Greil R.Cure in metastatic breast cancer.Memo.
Gao RW, Edlund S, Yuan J.Dramatic regression of a fungating breast lesion treated with radiation therapy.Cureus.
2017;9(6):e1360.
doi:10.7759/cureus.1360
Susan G. Komen.Understand breast cancer survival rates.
2017;26(6):809-815. doi:10.1158/1055-9965.epi-16-0889
Cancer Research UK.Stage 4 breast cancer.
