10 facts women need to know about metastatic breast cancer
Metastatic breast cancer (also called stage IV or advanced breast cancer) is breast cancer that has spread beyond the breast to other organs in the body — most often the bones, lungs, liver or brain. Although there is no cure, it can be treated, and receiving proper treatment can increase both your quality of life and your longevity. Many women continue to live long, productive lives with breast cancer in this stage.
Find out what metastatic breast cancer is and what it means for life expectancy. Here are 10 facts:
1 Metastatic cancer has the same name and the same type of cancer cells as the original, or primary, cancer. For example, breast cancer that spreads to the lung and forms a metastatic tumor is metastatic breast cancer, not lung cancer.
2 An estimated 155,000 Americans are currently living with metastatic breast cancer. Metastatic breast cancer accounts for approximately 40,000 deaths annually in the U.S.
3 The American Cancer Society states that the five-year survival rate after diagnosis for stage 4 breast cancer patients is 22 percent.
4 According to Susan G. Komen, some women have metastatic breast cancer when they are first diagnosed, but this is not common in the U.S. (five percent of diagnoses).
5 According to the Metastatic Breast Cancer Network, 20-30 percent of people initially diagnosed with early stage disease will develop metastatic breast cancer.
6 Early detection does not guarantee occura cure.5, 10 Metastaticor 15 years breastafter a cancer person’s can original diagnosis and successful treatment checkups and annual mammograms.
7 Under a microscope, metastatic cancer cells generally look the same as cells of the original cancer. Further, metastatic cancer cells and cells of the original cancer usually have some molecular features in common, such as the expression of certain proteins or the presence of specific chromosome changes.
8 Chemotherapy is one of the most important components of therapy for metastatic breast cancer. Therapy of choice is determined by previous treatments and tumor characteristics.
9 Your life expectancy with metastatic breast cancer may be affected by: your age, your general health, hormone receptors on cells with cancer, the types of tissue that the cancer has affected, your attitude and outlook.
10 Remember that everyone is different, and your response to treatment may not match someone else’s — even at stage IV. Talk to your doctor to learn more about the individual factors that may affect your prognosis.
Women with metastatic breast cancer often feel isolated, but you are not alone. And the disease is not being ignored. Researchers around the world are working every day to improve treatments. Uncertainty will be one of your biggest challenges, but knowing the facts is an important beginning of your treatment path.