Signs, Symptoms, and Therapies for Metastatic Breast Cancer
If you or someone you love has been diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer, you’re not alone. There will be more than 168,000 women living with metastatic breast cancer in the U.S. in 2020.1
Symptoms of Metastatic Breast Cancer:
The most common breast cancer metastasis sites are the bones, the lungs, the brain, and the liver. The symptoms of metastatic breast cancer can be very different depending on the location of cancer. The symptoms may vary, depending on how far your breast cancer has spread. Many signs of metastatic breast cancer are like those of other conditions. Some general signs that breast cancer may have spread include: 2
- Feeling constantly tired
- Constant nausea (feeling sick)
- Unexplained weight loss and loss of appetite
Signs that breast cancer has spread to the:
• Bones: In many instances, people don’t realize they have metastatic breast cancer until they suffer a fracture. Other signs can be swelling and inflammation, bones that easily break and fracture.
• Liver: If breast cancer advances to the liver, expect to experience intense abdominal pain. Other symptoms include yellow skin or eyes (jaundice), constantly itchy skin or rash; feeling very tired, abnormally high liver enzyme levels, stomach pain, loss of appetite, and constant nausea.
• Lungs: Breast cancer that has reached the lungs is known to progress gradually. Some of the symptoms to look for are trouble breathing, breathlessness, a cough that doesn’t go away and or pain or tightness in the chest.
• Brain: Although cancer spreading to the brain does not happen as often, it naturally causes the most panic. Signs to look out for include: Severe headaches, vision problems (blurry vision, double vision, loss of vision), seizures, loss of balance, and confusion.
It’s natural to worry about breast cancer spreading to other parts of the body.
While it’s essential to get any new and persistent symptoms checked, remember that aches and pains in the bones can be due to aging, arthritis, or side effects of primary breast cancer therapies. Breathlessness and cough can be symptoms of a cold or flu-type illness. And many people experience tiredness and loss of appetite after cancer therapies. 3
Signs and Therapies For Breast Cancer
Unlike breast cancer that remains in the breast or nearby lymph nodes, you can’t get rid of all cancer that has spread to other parts of the body. However, therapies are available in metastatic breast cancer. Therapies focus on extending the life and improving the quality of life.
Many factors guide your therapies plan:
• The biology of the tumor (characteristics of the cancer cells)
• Where cancer has spread
• Your symptoms
• Past breast cancer therapies
And depending upon the above factors, your doctor might recommend one (or several) of the following therapies:
Hormone Therapy: For hormone receptor-positive (ER-positive or PR-positive) cancers that were being treated with hormone therapy, switching to another type of hormone therapy sometimes helps.
Chemotherapy: If the cancer is no longer responding to one chemo regimen, trying another may help. Many different drugs and combinations can be used to treat breast cancer.
Her2 Drugs: HER2-positive cancers that no longer respond to trastuzumab (Herceptin) might respond to other drugs that target the HER2 protein.
Never Give Up Hope
Living with metastatic breast cancer is a challenge. However, you can still overcome the odds. Modern therapies continue to improve survival for people with metastatic breast cancer. However, survival varies greatly from person to person. Each day, researchers are working hard to find new drugs and solutions.
Interested in learning more about therapies for breast cancer? Search below Now:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28522448/
https://www.nationalbreastcancer.org/metastatic-breast-cancer
https://ww5.komen.org/
