Treatments For Metastatic Breast Cancer

Metastatic breast cancer is the most advanced stage of breast cancer. Even after treatment, some cancer cells may not die and continue multiplying. These cells may spread to other parts of the body through blood or lymphatic vessels and start the development of cancer in those areas. This stage of the cancer is called metastatic breast cancer.

This cancer can either recur, that is, the treatment for breast cancer may have completed, but the cancer cells that escaped from being killed make the cancer recur, or may happen during the course of treatment, when the cancer is so aggressive that it spreads out despite of the treatments, or, in some cases when diagnosis is very late, and the cancer has spread out, metastatic might be the very first diagnosis.

Untreated metastatic breast cancer is a bad idea. When breast cancer recurs, the breasts, bones, lungs, chest wall, liver and/or brain start developing it, and show changes. Breast cancer has the highest risk of spreading. If another kind of cancer develops after breast cancer has been treated, it is probably breast cancer recurring. This is good news, because breast cancer is more treatable than any other kind of cancer. Also, if the cancer comes back in the breast that was not diseased earlier, it is probably a new cancer, and not a recurrence.

Metastatic Breast Cancer Symptoms

It is very important to know about metastatic breast cancer because around 30% of women with breast cancer are later diagnosed with metastatic cancer. It is best treatable when no organ, specifically the lungs and brain, develop cancer, or when the cancer cells show traces of estrogen or progesterone hormone receptors, or, when tumors still respond to therapies, or when there have not been many treatments the patient has already availed.

Treatments for metastatic breast cancer are chemotherapy, immune therapy, hormone treatment, radiation therapy, regular mammograms, bone scans, ultrasounds, PET scans, MRIs, CT scans and others. The treatment is extensive, and involves a lot of specialists. The treatments also vary according to their purpose. There are systemic treatments (like anti-estrogen and chemotherapy) that concentrate on curing every part of the body, local treatments (like surgeries on the lines of mastectomy and lumpectomy and radiation therapy) which focus on curing and killing the cancer in specific areas where the cancer has spread to, and treatments which are focused on just relieving the pain of the victim.

A lot of research is going into slowing down and completely stopping further advancement of the tumor. Regarding the metastatic breast cancer survival rate, even though this is the worst phase of your cancer, it is important that you know that many women with the metastatic disease have lived happily and normally while taking their treatment. You will have to decide when to end your treatment, for the higher the number of treatments you take, the higher the side-effects. This decision is the hardest to take, but you will know you have tried everything, prolonged your life as much as you could have. Spend the rest of your life being happy, and taking regular medication. Happiness is known for prolonging life, too.

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