Metastatic Breast Cancer Symptoms

The stage of breast cancer when cancer cells do not remain in the original cancer site and spread out to other parts of the body is called metastatic breast cancer. If you got that far then you need a treatments for metastatic breast cancer.

This is the stage when the cancer is fully advanced. Even if you have been successfully treated for breast cancer, there is a chance that some cancer cells do not die, and later spread out through blood and lymphatic vessels to other body organs. This process is known as metastasis of breast cancer.

Metastatic breast cancer can develop in two ways: It is possible that the treatment for the primary breast cancer is over, but some cancer cells that did not die start replicating and redeveloping into new cells, and spread out to other organs, or, it is possible that the treatment is ongoing, but cells still break out and spread to other organs. It is often the case that the diagnosis of metastatic disease is so late when the treatment is ongoing, that chances of survival become very thin.

When breast cancer recurs, the breasts, bones, lungs, chest wall, liver and/or brain start developing it, and show changes. Breast cancer has the highest risk of spreading. If another kind of cancer develops after breast cancer has been treated, it is probably breast cancer recurring. This is good news, because breast cancer is more treatable than any other kind of cancer. Also, if the cancer comes back in the breast that was not diseased earlier, it is probably a new cancer, and not a recurrence.

Metastatic breast cancer develops in almost thirty out of hundred women who have had breast cancer, which makes knowledge about it so necessary. When the cancer has not metastasized to organs like the lungs and brain, or when there is a presence of estrogen and progesterone hormones in cancer tissues, the cancer is treatable. Also, if you have already not undergone many treatments for your previous cancer, and the malignant cells show some change after therapies, your treatment can be successful.

Once you have got the metastatic breast cancer prognosis, the treatment involved is very long and cumbersome. A combination of Systemic therapy and regular monitoring is needed. This involves chemotherapy, hormonal treatment and radiation therapy, and for monitoring, regular mammograms, breast ultrasounds, CT scans, MRIs, PET scans, bone scans are done.

Treatment also varies with purpose, chemo and radiation therapies concentrating on the whole body cure, surgeries like lumpectomy and mastectomy on specific body parts, and oral aspirin intake along with other drugs focusing on lessening physical pain of the victim.

Because metastatic breast cancer means cancer spreading to various parts of the body, complete sure is very difficult. There will come a point when you will have to stop undergoing treatment, even when your cancer is not fully cured. You have the choice of being treated indefinitely, but you have to know, the more number of therapies you take, the more the side-effects are. Also know that many women have lived fruitful lives while taking the treatment for the metastatic disease. It is hard to take decisions when your life is at stake, but it is also necessary that you do it. A good breast cancer treatment center can help and provide support. There is research going on for prolonging lives of people who have this disease, and that research will surely help you.