The following is a brief overview on advanced breast cancer. For more information, please consult the websites listed on our organizations page.
What is advanced breast cancer?
When breast cancer grows beyond the breast and to the lymph node regions, it is considered advanced or metastatic breast cancer. For more information on the stages of breast cancer, click here.
The goal of treating advanced breast cancer is to extend life for as long as possible with the best quality of life possible. Doctors do this by attempting to relieve symptoms, stop the growth of the cancer and eliminate the cancer cells with therapies that produce the least amount of side effects.
Today there are an increasing number of options for treating advanced breast cancer. Traditional methods of local control include surgery (procedures such as lumpectomy or mastectomy) and radiation therapy (applied at the site of the cancer). Systemic
(affecting the whole body) treatments include chemotherapy and hormonal therapy. Chemotherapy drugs kill cancer cells, but because they cannot tell the difference between cancer cells and normal cells, they also kill some normal cells in the process.
Hormonal therapies are also forms of therapy that may be used to treat advanced breast cancer along with surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy (hormonal therapies are NOT hormone replacement therapy).
If you have any questions or concerns, talk to your oncologist and never be afraid to seek a second opinion.
Finding out that your breast cancer has spread can be overwhelming. Getting support from friends, family, colleagues and from women who are also going through the same experience can be another powerful form of medicine. But remember: you are much more than your breast cancer. Many women with advanced breast cancer can live full, productive lives. One way to help yourself is to keep in mind your general well-being as a woman. That means doing all you can to promote your overall health, both physical and emotional. This includes eating a balanced diet, getting adequate rest, exercising regularly, developing resources to help you manage your emotional health, and making time in your day for the people and activities that give you pleasure.
