Metastatic Breast Cancer Treatment

Metastatic Breast Cancer Treatment

The term metastatic breast cancer is used to describe a breast cancer that spread from the breast and lymph nodes (underarm) to other parts of the body. It is also known as stage IV (the most advanced stage) of breast cancer. In advanced cases, breast cancer can spread to virtually any part of the body, the most common regions being the bones, lungs and the liver. Metastatic breast cancer treatment usually involves relieving symptoms and pain and extending the patient's life.

Diagnosis

Starting from the breast, breast cancer first spreads to the lymph nodes. When the cancer is detected at stages I, II or III, a few of the lymph nodes are usually removed during surgery to check for infection. In some cases, the cancer may also spread via the bloodstream without affecting the lymphatic system. About 10 percent of diagnosed breast cancer cases are stage IV. This either means that the cancer had grown rapidly in the patient, or that it has been present for a while unnoticed within the breast.

The greatest chance of surviving breast cancer lies in detecting the disease at an early stage. It is highly advisable to follow the guidelines laid out by the American Cancer Society, which involves routine breast self-exams, clinical exams and, for women over the age of 40, annual mammograms.

Where can breast cancer spread?

In order of probability, the parts of the body that are most likely to be affected by breast cancer are the bones, lungs and liver. Close to 25 percent of breast cancers progress from the breasts to the bones. The spine, pelvis, ribs and skull are most likely to be affected by metastatic breast cancer. Bone metastases are of two types – osteolytic, in which the cancer corrodes the bones and forms holes, and osteoblastic, in which the cancer increases the mineral density of bones and causes them to break easily. Both types of metastases are extremely painful.

Treatments

Unlike with early and middle stage breast cancers, surgery is rarely a viable metastatic breast cancer treatment. This is due to the fact that the cancer is not contained within a specific region of the body which can be operated upon. Radiation therapy may be used to reduce the size of the cancer and relieve pain. Most of the treatments for metastasis will concentrate on relieving symptoms. The choice of therapies will depend on the patient’s condition, her history of treatment and responsiveness to specific therapies.

Chemotherapy and other systemic therapies which involve the whole body rather than a specific region are helpful for metastasis patients. Chemotherapy is a type of treatment that administers anti-cancer drugs on a daily, weekly or monthly basis depending on the responsiveness of the patient to the therapy. The therapy is not targeted, which means that it affects healthy as well as infected cells. For this reason, chemotherapy sessions have breaks of several weeks or months to allow healthy cells to repair themselves and recuperate while the cancerous cells perish from the damage caused by the therapy.

 

 

 

 

Technorati Tags: Breast Cancer Treatment, Breast Cancer Screening, Metastatic Breast Cancer Treatment

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