After breast cancer is diagnosed, it is then staged, based on a standardized system of describing the spread and extent of disease. Stage IV breast cancer, also called metastatic breast cancer, is the most advanced stage of the disease, in which the cancer has spread to other parts of the body. The cancer cells still look and act like breast cancer, except they are not in the actual breast.
Significance
Breastcancer.org states that 20 to 30 percent of women with breast cancer that was initially only in the breast are later diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer, meaning the cancer has spread to another organ or part of the body. The cancer organization SHARE estimates that only about 6 percent of new diagnoses of breast cancer are metastatic at presentation.
Features
The American Cancer Society describes metastatic breast cancer, or Stage IV breast cancer, as cancer that is any size and it may or may not be in lymph nodes near the breast, but it has spread to organs outside the breast. The most common sites of metastasis include the bone, brain, liver or lung.
Diagnosis
In order to obtain an accurate diagnosis of metastatic breast cancer, various tests are done to search the body for cancer cells. A chest X-ray can evaluate whether breast cancer has spread to the lungs, a bone scan checks the whole body for cancer cells in the bones; and CT scans and an MRI can provide cross-sectional views and detailed pictures of the body, according to the American Cancer Society. If your doctor suspects that the cancer has spread but does not know where, a PET scan may be done; this involves an intravenous injection of a radioactive atom that binds to cancer cells in the body, showing up on the PET scan.
Treatment
According to AdvancedBC.org, an organization dedicated to providing education and support to women with metastatic breast cancer and those who love them, the goal of treatment for this stage of disease is not cure; it is control and management. This includes slowing the progression of the cancer, maintaining quality of life and addressing any symptoms the cancer is causing, like pain. The National Cancer Institute lists possible treatments for metastatic breast cancer as including hormone therapy with or without chemotherapy and/or Herceptin; targeted therapies combined with capecitabine, a chemotherapy drug; radiation for palliative symptoms; and clinical trials.
Time Frame
Cancer survival statistics are based on a five-year survival rate, which is the percentage of patients still alive five years post-diagnosis. For metastatic breast cancer, the American Cancer Society states that the five-year survival rate is 20 percent. Survival rates can vary widely, depending on whether there are multiple metastases, an individual's general health and the chosen course of treatment.
