The most frightening words imaginable for any woman are those when she is told that she has breast cancer. The morbid thoughts run through her head and the fear is overwhelming. Now she must endure medical treatments and examinations for several months as begins her battle against this disease.
Cancer is defined by four different stages and metastatic breast cancer is defined as stage 4 and it means that the cancer has spread beyond the breast and underarm lymph nodes to other part of the body. Another way to explain this is that the cancer cells have migrated and are now growing outside of the original tumor.
Women who have stage IV breast cancer usually receive chemotherapy and or hormonal therapy to destroy cancer cells and control the disease. They may have surgery or radiation therapy to control the cancer in the breast. Radiation may also be useful to control tumors in other parts of the body. The symptoms of metastatic breast cancer varies depend on where the cancer is and how large it is.
The most common places for breast cancer to spread are within the breast or to the nearby chest wall or to the liver, lungs, or bones. Common symptoms include a lump in your breast or on your chest wall, bone pain, or shortness of breath. It may be necessary to have continuous laboratory tests and x-rays to determine whether or not the cancer has spread.
Work with your doctors to plan your medical treatments and to be a partner in your health care. Your doctors will consider where the cancer is located and what type of cancer treatments you had in the past. Your wishes and quality of life are also important factors.
Treatment choices may include surgery, medicines like chemotherapy or hormone therapy, and radiation. Sometimes a mix of these treatments is used and there can be side effects. Your doctor can tell you what problems to expect and can help you find ways to manage and live with them during the treatment phase.
There may come a time with metastatic breast cancer when you make a decision that quality of life is more important than quantity. If the medical treatments are not working and the effects of them are more devastating than the actual disease, you may have a choice to make.
Some people make the decision after talking to their family, friends and doctors to shift the focus of their treatments from attempting to cure the disease to staying comfortable and enjoying life. The care at this point is entirely focused on providing symptom relief as well as support for you and your family so that everyone can make the most of the time remaining.
The final choice for your care after you have been diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer if yours! And, you should make informed decision after talking to your doctors and family members. Medical advances in this area are moving forward every day and you never know when the cure will be found.
Understanding Metastatic Breast Cancer
A diagnosis of breast cancer can be enormously overwhelming and frightening for anyone. But when the diagnosis is that of 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 cancer - to other parts of the body such as the bones, lungs, or liver. The treatment may be devastating to a newly diagnosed patient; but new advances in treatment can help manage symptoms and increase longevity.
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 cancer cells spread from this location - this becomes known as metastatic breast cancer. The cancer that has moved from the breast and developed in other locations becomes known as the secondary cancer.
The treatment options for this cancer are the same as treating any other cancer. But treatment must be aggressive based on the stage of this particular disease. Because the definition of metastatic breast cancer is cancer that has spread from the breast to other parts of the body, treatment must be speedy and assertive in order to stop the spread of the cells to any further locations in the body.
Treatment plans may include surgery wherein the cancerous growths are removed from the body; radiation during which affected cells are attacked with pinpoint x-ray technology; and chemotherapy which exposes the patient to a course of intravenous drug therapy designed to stop the growth of cancer cells. There are also experimental and holistic therapies that patients often try in conjunction with other therapies and under the guidance of their doctor. As the needs of each patient vary, so do the treatment plans.
The most common secondary locations are the lungs, brain, liver, and bones. Metastatic breast cancer is certainly not confined to these locations and not all may be affected; these are statistically the most frequently affected areas. However it is not defined as cancer that has spread to any places close to the breast such as skin, muscles underneath or around the breast, or bones nearby the primary cancer location.
While a frightening diagnosis, it does not have to mean a death sentence. Armed with the most up-to-date research and treatment options, patients can act as advocates for their own health, making educated decisions regarding the course of their treatment. As research continues concerning the newest and best ways to treat metastatic breast cancer, sufferers and their families will continue to see advances in medical treatment that will foster health and save lives.
Cancer is defined by four different stages and metastatic breast cancer is defined as stage 4 and it means that the cancer has spread beyond the breast and underarm lymph nodes to other part of the body. Another way to explain this is that the cancer cells have migrated and are now growing outside of the original tumor.
Women who have stage IV breast cancer usually receive chemotherapy and or hormonal therapy to destroy cancer cells and control the disease. They may have surgery or radiation therapy to control the cancer in the breast. Radiation may also be useful to control tumors in other parts of the body. The symptoms of metastatic breast cancer varies depend on where the cancer is and how large it is.
The most common places for breast cancer to spread are within the breast or to the nearby chest wall or to the liver, lungs, or bones. Common symptoms include a lump in your breast or on your chest wall, bone pain, or shortness of breath. It may be necessary to have continuous laboratory tests and x-rays to determine whether or not the cancer has spread.
Work with your doctors to plan your medical treatments and to be a partner in your health care. Your doctors will consider where the cancer is located and what type of cancer treatments you had in the past. Your wishes and quality of life are also important factors.
Treatment choices may include surgery, medicines like chemotherapy or hormone therapy, and radiation. Sometimes a mix of these treatments is used and there can be side effects. Your doctor can tell you what problems to expect and can help you find ways to manage and live with them during the treatment phase.
There may come a time with metastatic breast cancer when you make a decision that quality of life is more important than quantity. If the medical treatments are not working and the effects of them are more devastating than the actual disease, you may have a choice to make.
Some people make the decision after talking to their family, friends and doctors to shift the focus of their treatments from attempting to cure the disease to staying comfortable and enjoying life. The care at this point is entirely focused on providing symptom relief as well as support for you and your family so that everyone can make the most of the time remaining.
The final choice for your care after you have been diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer if yours! And, you should make informed decision after talking to your doctors and family members. Medical advances in this area are moving forward every day and you never know when the cure will be found.
Understanding Metastatic Breast Cancer
A diagnosis of breast cancer can be enormously overwhelming and frightening for anyone. But when the diagnosis is that of 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 cancer - to other parts of the body such as the bones, lungs, or liver. The treatment may be devastating to a newly diagnosed patient; but new advances in treatment can help manage symptoms and increase longevity.
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 cancer cells spread from this location - this becomes known as metastatic breast cancer. The cancer that has moved from the breast and developed in other locations becomes known as the secondary cancer.
The treatment options for this cancer are the same as treating any other cancer. But treatment must be aggressive based on the stage of this particular disease. Because the definition of metastatic breast cancer is cancer that has spread from the breast to other parts of the body, treatment must be speedy and assertive in order to stop the spread of the cells to any further locations in the body.
Treatment plans may include surgery wherein the cancerous growths are removed from the body; radiation during which affected cells are attacked with pinpoint x-ray technology; and chemotherapy which exposes the patient to a course of intravenous drug therapy designed to stop the growth of cancer cells. There are also experimental and holistic therapies that patients often try in conjunction with other therapies and under the guidance of their doctor. As the needs of each patient vary, so do the treatment plans.
The most common secondary locations are the lungs, brain, liver, and bones. Metastatic breast cancer is certainly not confined to these locations and not all may be affected; these are statistically the most frequently affected areas. However it is not defined as cancer that has spread to any places close to the breast such as skin, muscles underneath or around the breast, or bones nearby the primary cancer location.
While a frightening diagnosis, it does not have to mean a death sentence. Armed with the most up-to-date research and treatment options, patients can act as advocates for their own health, making educated decisions regarding the course of their treatment. As research continues concerning the newest and best ways to treat metastatic breast cancer, sufferers and their families will continue to see advances in medical treatment that will foster health and save lives.
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