According to the National Cancer Institute, Stage IV breast cancer is when breast cancer has spread to distant parts of the body. If the breast cancer has spread to the lungs, it is not lung cancer but still breast cancer. Stage IV breast cancer is also called metastatic breast cancer.
Significance
About 6 percent of women who are diagnosed with breast cancer have Stage IV breast cancer at initial diagnosis, according to the breast and ovarian cancer organization SHARE. The majority of women with Stage IV breast cancer develop it later, after they have been treated for breast cancer previously.
Symptoms
When breast cancer metastasizes, it commonly spreads to the bones, brain, lungs or liver. According to Breastcancer.org, some symptoms of possible metastasis include increasing bone or joint pain that is present for two to three weeks, headaches, changes in vision, nausea, persistent cough and abdominal bloating. These can also be symptoms of other ailments, so it is best to be checked by your physician.
Treatments
The goal of treatment for Stage IV breast cancer is not cure but to control and minimize the spread of the cancer, as well as to alleviate any symptoms that the cancer may be causing. Treatments include hormone therapy with or without chemotherapy or Herceptin (a drug that interferes with HER2, a protein that enables breast cancer to grow), radiation or surgery to relieve pain or symptoms, or biphosphonate drugs that help when the cancer has spread to the bones.
Prognosis
According to the American Cancer Society, the median survival rate for patients with metastatic breast cancer is roughly 24 months. Each person is different, so it depends on the extent the cancer has spread and the chosen treatment.
Future Directions
Clinical trials for treatments for Stage IV breast cancer are still being conducted, including studies looking at high levels of chemotherapy followed by a stem cell transplant, and combinations of Herceptin and other cancer-fighting drugs.
