When breast cancer has advanced to stage 4, it is known as metastatic breast cancer. When cancer reaches this stage, it means it has spread to other parts of the body and beyond local lymph nodes and breast tissue. When breast cancer is diagnosed at stage 4, it means that cancer has reached parts outside the breast, such as the lungs or the bones. Here’s everything you need to know about metastatic breast cancer.

What is metastatic breast cancer?
When cancer reaches its most advanced stage, it is known as metastatic breast cancer. Breast cancer is caused when abnormal cells in the body start to multiply beyond control. When these abnormal cells collect, they form a mass which is known as a tumor. When cancer has metastasized, the cancer cells have reached a new area in the body. In such cases, the cancer cells reach the bones, brain, lungs, and liver. Cancer is usually named after its place of origin in the body. This means even when cancer has originated in the breast and spread to other parts of the body, it will still be known as breast cancer.

What are the symptoms of metastatic breast cancer?
When a person is diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer, they will undergo tests before and during their treatment to see which parts of the body cancer has reached. The symptoms caused by metastatic breast cancer will depend on where cancer has reached.

When cancer has reached the bones, it will cause symptoms that include:

• Pain in the hips or back
• Fractures or breaking of bones
• Excessive levels of calcium in the body
• Numbness in one leg or arm

In case cancer has reached the lungs, it can cause symptoms such as:

• Breathlessness
• Fatigue

If cancer has reached the liver, it causes symptoms that include:

• Pain or swelling in the belly
• Loss of appetite
• Yellowing of the skin and eyes
• Confusion
• Fatigue

When cancer reaches the brain, it causes symptoms such as:

• Inability to move a part of the body
• Persistent headaches
• Seizures
• Changes in hearing and vision
• Drowsiness

In case you experience any of these signs or symptoms, you must visit your doctor immediately. There could be several other reasons behind these symptoms. However, it is important to get it checked, especially if you have had breast cancer before.

What are the causes of metastatic breast cancer?
Once cancer cells are formed in the body, they can invade nearby blood vessels and lymph nodes. These cells then start traveling to other parts of the body through lymph or blood vessels. These vessels are responsible for carrying blood and other fluids throughout the body. Once the cancer cells have reached new locations, they can accumulate and form tumors in those locations too.

Metastatic breast cancer usually occurs when the treatment is not able to kill all cancer cells. In some cases, the cancer cells are not identifiable or detectable during the treatment. Therefore, they do not get destroyed during the treatment. For reasons that are yet to be known, these leftover cancer cells start to grow and move around in the body again.

What is the treatment for metastatic breast cancer?
There is no treatment available for metastatic breast cancer. When the cancer cells reach distant parts of the body, it is impossible to destroy them. But with the correct treatment prescribed, the patient can have an improved quality of life. The right treatment can also extend a patient’s life. The treatment for metastatic breast cancer focuses on reducing the size of tumors and preventing them from growing. The treatment also helps in fighting the symptoms. There are several treatments prescribed, and these include:

• Chemotherapy
• Immunotherapy
• Hormonal therapy
• Targeted therapy

The treatment will be based on the parts of the body where cancer has reached, breast cancer treatments given in the past, patient symptoms, and how the cancer cells are looking and behaving.