As you know, breast cancer is a disease in which cells in the breast start to grow rapidly at an uncontrollable rate. This disease is considered the most common type of cancer that occurs in women, while lung cancer remains the most common cause of death in both men and women.



Learning about metastatic breast cancer should start with understanding that metastasis is the movement of cancer cells, either through the bloodstream or the lymphatic system. Metastatic breast cancer occurs when cancer cells move from breast to other parts of the body and continue to grow in the new location. Metastasis in areas near the breast, for example under the arm, is called regional metastasis.

Metastasis can also occur in other areas of the body, such as in bone, liver or lung. Metastatic cancer may be present when the initial diagnosis is made or it may develop months or years later, following treatment for stage I, stage II or stage III. Metastatic cancer is down to 5% of women at the moment of the diagnosis.

The exact causes of breast cancer are not known very well, but there are a few risk factors that should be taken into consideration. Breast cancer is a disease common in women over 45 or 50 years. The probability that a woman developed breast cancer at the age of 30 years is 1 in 250. The risk of a woman developing breast cancer at the age of 40 years is 1 in 70. Women with a history of breast cancer have an increased risk of developing recurrent or metastatic cancer.

Symptoms of cancer depend on the location of metastatic or recurrent cancer and stretching. There may be specific physical symptoms, such as a tumor in the breast or chest wall, bone or interrupted breathing (short), but unfortunately the disease may in some cases present no symptoms.

Metastatic breast cancer is usually discovered due to the symptoms which can vary depending on the location and extension of metastases. Back pain, hips, or sternum may occur due to bone metastases. Shortness of breath or extreme fatigue may occur due to lung metastases. Lack of appetite, extreme fatigue and yellowing of skin or itching may occur due to liver metastases. Confusion, memory loss, headache (headache) and visual problems may occur due to brain metastases (brain).

Metastatic and recurrent breast cancer are diagnosed using physical examination, mammograms, blood tests, chest radiography, bone, ultrasound and CT scan or MRI and the treatment of recurrent and metastatic breast cancer depends on the stage and “personality” of the disease. The treatment may include chemotherapy, hormone therapy, biological therapy with monoclonal antibodies, radiotherapy and surgical removal of the tumor.

Unfortunately metastatic breast cancer is usually a progressive disease. This means that the survival after diagnosis of metastatic breast cancer is 2 to 3 years. However, with new treatment techniques, a small number of women have lived 10 years or more. The patient may wish to discuss all the care issues and other legal issues which arise near death with the family. This will help the patient and encourage him to express his decisions in writing. Also the sufferer will need to thoroughly think about all his treatment options and what solution is the best for him. The patient may want to choose an agent to take care and express decisions if he becomes unable to speak for himself.