Metastatic breast cancer
is a condition in which breast cancer has spread to another part of the body. Metastasis, or spreading of the cancer, can happen at any time and may occur even after a breast cancer treatment that was deemed successful. Cancer Monthly reports that almost half of all women diagnosed with breast cancer will have their cancer metastasize. Once the cancer has metastasized, breast cancer survival rates for metastatic breast cancer patients range from 82 percent for Stage II cancer down to 14 percent for Stage IV cancer. There are many different treatment options for metastatic breast cancer; however, the prognosis for women with the condition varies based on several conditions, called prognostic factors.
Extent of Metastasis
When metastatic cancer is diagnosed, doctors can run tests to try and determine how many different parts of the body the cancer has spread to. Women with fewer metastatic sites have a better prognosis than women who have many tumors spread throughout their bodies. A woman's prognosis is affected not only by the number of metastatic sites but also their location. Cancer that has spread only to areas of the body close to the breast have a more favorable prognosis than breast cancer that has spread to more distant parts of the body.
Organ Involvement
Breast cancer can metastasize to any part of the body. Tumors that are located on vital internal organs such as the liver, stomach or lungs contribute to a poor prognosis. On the UpToDate website for patients, Dr. Daniel F. Hayes reports that the prognosis is better if the cancer has spread to tissue that is not part of the viscera, such as the chest wall or the lymph nodes. Bone tumors are also more desirable than tumors on internal organs.
Recurrence Interval
Some women are diagnosed with breast cancer, treated and then later experience a relapse wherein the cancer returns. It is very common for breast cancer to metastasize when it reappears. The longer a woman has gone between her initial cancer treatment and a relapse, the better her prognosis. A woman who has been cancer free for 2 years has a better metastatic breast cancer prognosis than a woman who has only been cancer free for 2 months prior to relapse.
Hormone Receptors
Some cancer cells have hormone receptors that enable a cell to receive chemical triggers from certain hormones. Estrogen receptors tell cancer cells to grow in the presence of estrogen and progesterone receptors tell breast cancer cells to grow in the presence of progesterone. Breast cancer cells can be tested to see if they have hormone receptors. If they do, hormonal treatments may allow a woman's body to produce much less of the hormone that causes the cancer to grow. This will improve a woman's metastatic breast cancer prognosis. Women whose cancer cells are hormone receptor negative will not benefit from hormone therapy.
HER2 Protein
HER2 is actually the short name used to describe the human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 protein. When high levels of this protein are present, it means that the cancer is particularly aggressive, which traditionally has indicated a fairly poor prognosis. However, according to Dr. Sandhya Pruthi of the Mayo Clinic, HER2 positive cancers have been shown to respond very well to a drug called trastuzumab, which kills HER2 positive cancer cells. HER2 positive cancer can indicate a better prognosis if the cancer responds positively to HER2 treatment.
Tags: breast cancer, cancer cells, breast cancer, metastatic breast, metastatic breast cancer, better prognosis, breast cancer
