Stage 4 (or stage IV) breast cancer is breast cancer presented with identifiable metastases beyond the breast and regional lymph nodes. This means that cancer cells have moved beyond the breast and attack other organs in the body. Although stage IV breast cancers are relatively rare, they represent an important group of breast cancer patients. Stage IV breast cancer patients have the worst prognosis and their life expectancy is significantly shortened due to the development of the disease.
Survival Rate
According to the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) database, a premier source for cancer statistics in America, the five-year survival rate of patients diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer from 1988 to 2000 is roughly 20 percent. That is, only one in five patients lives past five years after diagnosis.
The survival rate is relatively independent of age. The five-year survival rate of patients diagnosed with breast cancer at age 40 to 49 is roughly 25 percent, while the five-year survival rate for patients diagnosed at age 85 is 15 percent.
History
Recent introductions of new chemotherapy drugs have significantly improved survival of patients diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer.
A study published in 2002 at American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Conference indicated that the length of survival of stage 4 breast cancer patients treated at M. D. Anderson Cancer Center was twice as high between 1995 and 2000 as it was between 1990 and 1994.
Considerations
According to a study published in Annals of Surgical Oncology, surgical resection of the primary tumor is associated with improvements in long-term survival of patients with stage 4 breast cancer. After controlling for a number of variables including age, site of metastasis and tumor grade, patients who had surgical resection lived twice as long as those who did not have surgical resection.
Prevention/Solution
Breast cancer, if detected early, is curable. According to the American Cancer Society, the five-year survival rate of patients diagnosed with stage I breast cancer is 95 to 98 percent. Regular screening by mammogram will lead to early detection of breast cancer and improve survival. According to the American Cancer Society, annual mammogram screening for women above age 40 can reduce mortality due to breast cancer by 40 to 50 percent.
Treatment
According to UpToDate.com, there are three types of treatments for women with stage IV breast cancer: chemotherapy, hormone therapy and HER2 targeted therapy.
Hormone therapy targets hormones that promote growth of breast cancer cells.
HER2 targeted therapy is only applicable to women whose breast tumors produce high levels of HER2. HER2 targeted therapy interferes with the production of these proteins.
Chemotherapy is the use of drugs to kill cancer cells.
References
- Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) database: Breast Cancer Survival
- UpToDate: Breast Cancer
- American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) 2002 Conference: Improvement in breast cancer survival: results from M. D. Anderson Cancer Center protocols from 1975-2000, Giordano SH, Buzdar AU, Kau SC, Hortobagyi GN, 2002
