Hearing the words metastatic breast cancer can instill fear into even the most courageous of people. It seems as if the more years go by—and the older we get—the more people we know are receiving diagnoses of metastatic breast cancer (both women and men). The more information you have, the more you’ll be able to take your health into your own hands.
What Does Metastatic Breast Cancer Mean?
Metastatic cancer means that the cells are no longer contained where they started; they have begun spreading to other areas of your body. These places often include the bones, brain, liver, or lungs. Metastatic breast cancer is known as the most advanced type, otherwise known as ‘Stage IV.’
Even though these abnormal, rapidly growing cells have spread into other areas of the body, they began in the breast and are still technically “breast cancer cells.”
Currently, there is no know and FDA-approved cure for metastatic breast cancer; however, there are numerous options that can keep it at bay, improve overall health, and keep up the person’s quality of life.
When someone is diagnosed with breast cancer, about 6% of female patients and 9% of male patients have already developed to the metastatic level. Breast cancer often spreads rapidly, though, even after diagnosis and treatment have begun, so a patient’s cancer can go from a base level to metastatic in a matter of months or years, or even during a recurrence after remission. Even if a recurrence comes back only in a secondary part of the body from which it started, it’s still considered breast cancer. For example, if a patient’s treatment of chemotherapy, radiation, and a mastectomy resulted in remission and then cancer came back in the liver, it would still be considered breast cancer because that is where the cells originated.
What Causes Metastatic Breast Cancer
When metastatic breast cancer arises after early-stage breast cancer has been diagnosed and treated, it is often because there were cells still in the body that did not respond to the selected treatment. If they are still in the body, they will continue to grow and spread. They can (and often do) enter into the lymph or blood vessels, traveling all over the body. Then, they form new tumors (still containing the original breast cancer cells). There isn’t any prevention for this, currently, besides trying everything possible to get rid of all the original cells first.
How to Identify Metastatic Breast Cancer
Almost all women, if asked, would say that the best way to identify breast cancer early on is by checking their own breasts. Others could go even further and cite learning that it’s best to check breasts with the opposite hand, while in the shower, during the mid-point of their menstrual cycle when hormones are level. Mammograms are also being encouraged earlier in life, especially if there is a genetic or family history of certain types of breast cancer.
There are other symptoms to watch for, as well.
- Appetite loss
- Breast changes (outside normal hormonal changes)
- Digestive issues
- Fatigue
- Headaches
- Shortness of breath
- Unexplained pain in a new area
- Weight loss (significant, quick)
Obviously, these symptoms can all be attributed to other causes or issues. However, if they come on suddenly and/or you are noticing many of them together, you would be smart to set up an appointment with your doctor.
Diagnosing the Cancer
There are many ways that a physician can diagnose metastatic breast cancer.
Imaging Tests
Imaging tests include bone scans, CT scans, MRIs, and PET scans.
Blood Tests
Your doctor can take full metabolic panels as well as complete blood counts.
Biopsies
Taking a biopsy involves removing and testing a small piece of tissue from where the suspected cancer lies.
Bronchoscopies
During a bronchoscopy, your doctor will insert a scope into your lungs that can look for and identify tumors.
Taps
Taps are common in the spine but can also be done in the lungs. Fluid is removed from the area in which the patient is experiencing symptoms and then tested for cancer cells.
Areas of Metastasis
As noted, breast cancer often metastasizes in other areas of the body. Depending on the area, the symptoms, treatment, and prognosis are different.
Almost half of the metastasized cases spread to the bones, usually limb bones, ribs, pelvic bones, and the spine. Patients with bone metastasis often feel bone pain and swelling and are at risk for bone fractures.
Brain metastasis occurs in less than 15% of cases. It is often connected to aggressive forms of breast cancer, such as triple-negative or HER2-positive. When breast cancer moves into the brain, it has usually moved into another part of the body as well. If you have breast cancer and begin to experience any of the following, it could be a sign that it has spread to your brain.
- Blurred vision
- Dizziness or loss of balance
- Headaches
- Memory loss
- Mood changes
- Seizures
- Slurred speech
- Stroke
Late-stage breast cancer can also move to the lungs. This type is often found on an x-ray or other type of imaging test, as symptoms aren’t common. However, they could include chest pain when breathing, chronic cough (often with mucus or blood), trouble breathing or wheezing. If you have any of these symptoms that resemble a cold or upper respiratory infection, but that don’t go away after a couple of weeks, you should make an appointment with your physician.
Breast cancer can also move down into the liver. This happens in about half of the cases. Liver metastasis is often found on CT and PET scans, MRIs, or ultrasounds. Just as with lung metastasis, symptoms are uncommon, but some may still appear.
- Abdominal discomfort
- Bloating
- Fever
- Jaundice
- Leg swelling
- Weakness or chronic fatigue
Knowing Your Risk Factors
Currently, there are almost 200,000 people in the United States suffering from metastatic breast cancer. However, if breast cancer is caught early, the odds are better, with only one in three females diagnosed in the early stages later developing metastatic breast cancer.
The risk factors for metastasis include the type of cancer cells that originally grew, the stage at which you were diagnosed, and the type(s) of treatments you received. Some treatments can put a person at increased risk for metastasis after finishing treatment, but not always.
Treatment and Prevention
Although there is no current way to prevent metastatic breast cancer, performing self-checks and going in for regular check-ups and mammograms can help catch cancer early, before it spreads.
Treatment of metastatic breast cancer involves any combination of chemotherapy, radiation, surgery, and hormone therapy. Although Western medicine does not have any proven ways to remove metastasized cells completely, you can make many lifestyle changes (including diet and environmental changes) that will help improve your quality of life and lengthen the amount of time you have left to spend with your loved ones.
Staying Positive
A positive attitude and a drive to keep going are some of the best things you can hold on to after receiving a metastatic breast cancer diagnosis. Make a plan with your doctor, add healthy changes to your lifestyle, and spend as much time doing what you love with those you love.
References:
[1] https://www.activebeat.com/your-health/metastatic-breast-cancer-symptoms-causes-treatment-and-prevention/
[2] https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/breast-cancer/symptoms-causes/syc-20352470
[3] https://www.cancer.net/cancer-types/breast-cancer-metastatic/introduction