A diagnosis of breast cancer can be enormously overwhelming and frightening for anyone. But when the diagnosis is metastatic breast cancer, the fear can be staggering. This type of cancer is defined as breast cancer that has spread from the breast – the original site of the tumor – to other parts of the body, such as the bones, lungs, or liver. Treatment for metastatic breast cancer may be devastating to a newly diagnosed patient, but new advances in treatment can help manage symptoms and increase longevity.
Source: Thinkstock/Mark Kostich
What is Metastatic Breast Cancer?
When cancer cells break away from the originally affected site and spread to other parts of the body through the blood or lymphatic system, this is referred to as metastatic cancer. When the original cancer site – or primary site as it is referred to by physicians – is the breast and the cancer cells spread from this location, this becomes known as metastatic breast cancer.
Metastatic breast cancer is detected when cells from the original breast tumor have broadened outside of the breast to other areas of your body. The cells from the breast travel by the bloodstream or lymph system to the lungs, bones, brain, liver, or skin. Also called metastatic disease, it’s ranked as Stage 4 cancer. It is significant that a patient work with her doctor and oncology team to decide the proper option of metastatic breast cancer treatments. While there is no cure for metastatic breast cancer, treatment choices are on hand. In general, treatments for metastatic breast cancer focuses on lengthening a woman’s life and preserving the best value of life possible.
Treatment for metastatic breast cancer and earlier-stage breast cancer are extremely dissimilar. For earlier-stage breast cancer — especially for women who are fairly young and healthy — doctors will frequently recommend an aggressive, exact course of treatment intended to dispose of the cancer completely. The side effects could be complicated, but the breast cancer treatment typically lasts no more than six to nine months.
The treatment for metastatic breast cancer:
- Hormone therapy – blocks the effect of estrogen or decreases estrogen levels to lessen the development of breast cancer cells all through the body.
- Biological or Novel targeted therapy – intended for cancer cells with particular biologic therapy features.
- Radiation therapy – penetrating beams of high-energy to eradicate and hold back the development of cancer cells.
- Surgery – might be used in particular situations to get rid of the primary tumor, or a metastatic site and to ease symptoms. Surgery is hardly ever employed to treat metastatic breast cancer since cancer cells are no longer in simply one place.
- Chemotherapy – the usage of drugs to annihilate cancer cells, principally those that have extended to regions other than the breast.
Research for metastatic breast cancer is still on-going, so consult with your doctor about which treatment option is best for you.
Featured Image Source: Thinkstock/Wavebreakmedia
Posted on February 15, 2023