Breast Cancer Founation of Egypt - Metastatic Breast cancer

MBC (also called stage IV or advanced breast cancer) is breast cancer that has spread beyond the breast to other organs in the body (most often the bones, lungs, liver or brain). Both women and men can be diagnosed with MBC. ...

1- Approximately 6-10% of new breast cancer cases are initially Stage IV or metastatic. This is sometimes called “de novo” metastatic disease, meaning from the beginning. 2- It is estimated that 20-30% of all breast cancer cases will become metastatic. 3- Breast cancer is the number one cause of cancer death in young women under age 50. 4-Men do get breast cancer and represent approximately 1% of the new cases and deaths from breast cancer in the US 5-About half a million deaths worldwide annually&l ...

• Bone pain and fracture • Sever and persistent headache • Shortness of breath • abdominal bloating, pain, or swelling • constant nausea, vomiting, or weight loss • difficulty with urinating (either incontinence or not being able to go); this can be a sign that the nerves in your back are being pinched by a cancer • numbness or weakness anywhere in your body and confusion • a constant dry cough and chest pain • loss of appetite & ...

If breast cancer is found in the lymph nodes, tests are done to check for metastasis. If symptoms suchas shortness of breath, chronic cough, weight loss or bone pain occur, they may be signs of MBC. Tests are then needed to confirm or rule out metastases. The three main tests are • A blood test to check for spread to the liver or bones • Bone scans to test for spread to the bone • X-ray/CT scans to test for spread to the chest, abdomen and liver ...

As understanding the disease will help the patient to improve his quality of life through knowing the copping pattern and how to deal with this disease, talk with your healthcare providers about your concerns, fears and ask him questions like 1- What are the benefits of this treatment? 2- What are the short-term side effects? 3- What are the long-term side effects? 4- How is the medicine given? 5- How long does it take to receive treatment? 6- What can I do to make sure I can continue todo the things I love while I take this medicine? 7- Why do you b ...

Although MBC has spread to another part of the body, it is still considered and treated as breast cancer. As hard as it is to hear, MBC cannot be cured, the focus of treating MBC is on length and quality of life and the treatment is highly personalized. A person’s specific treatment plan is guided by many medical factors, including: characteristics of the cancer cells, location of metastasis, symptoms, past breast cancer treatments. The most common treatments available for metastatic breast cancer are chemotherapy, hormonal therapy, targeted therapy, and surgery and radiation therapy. Chemotherapy, hormonal therapy and targeted therap ...

1. Treatment for metastatic breast cancer is lifelong and focuses on control of the disease and quality of life. 2- Young people, as well as men, can be diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer. 3. Like early stage breast cancer, there are different types of metastatic breast cancer. 4. Treatment choices are guided by breast cancer type, location and extent of metastasis in the body, previous treatments and other factors. 5. Metastatic breast cancer is not an automatic death sentence. Although most people will ultimately die of their disease, some will live for many years. ...

People volunteer to take part in these research studies. Those who join clinical trials help further the knowledge base that helps improve breast cancer care. Over the past 40 years, breast cancer treatment has greatly improved due to lessons learned through clinical trials.Clinical trials test the safety and benefits of new treatments as well as new combinations (or new doses) of standard treatments. There are many new treatments for MBC currently being studied in clinical trials. Findings from these trialswill determine whether or not new treatments become a part of the standard of care for MBC. Those livingwith MBC are often the ...

Talking with others about your diagnosis can be a great source of comfort, but for some it can also be very stressful. That's why finding the right time and the right person to tell is important for you. It is OK to want to wait until you make sense of the diagnosis yourself before you tell others. The thought of disrupting the lives of your family and friends, or fear about how they will respond, may make you wary of telling everyone or anyone. Remember, though, that the people closest to you are sometimes the best support system. It may not be possible to predict other people’s reactions. Take this step in the way that is most ...

Palliative care focuses on relieving or preventing symptoms (like pain) rather than treating disease. Namely, Palliative care specialists focus on satisfying and treating the physical, emotional, social and spiritual needs to maximize the quality of life. They have special training in treating pain and other symptoms, such as fatigue, anxiety and depression. Palliative care is especially important for those living with metastatic breast cancer. So those are some of advanced breast cancer symptoms and how to deal with them. 1- Loss of appetite Loss of appetite is a common problem for people with metastatic breast canc ...

Quality of life” describes your overall well-being, including: • Emotional and physical health • Ability to perform daily roles • Sexual function • Pain, fatigue and other side effects of treatment or symptoms of the breast cancer. It is important for everyone with breast cancer, quality of life issues are especially important for people with metastatic breast cancer.You should never feel you have to endure pain or other side effects. Talk with your health care provider about any issues affecting your quality of life like, ...

• The goal of pain management is to have the most pain control with the least amount of medication (to limit side effects). This allows you to get the most benefit from the treatments aimed at reducing your cancer. • You should never feel you have to endure pain. Even when pain is mild, it can interfere with daily life and make other side effects, such as fatigue, seem worse. • Let your health care provider know about any pain or discomfort you have. • Pain is usually easier to treat when you first have it. Waiting until the pain is severe before getting relief can make ...

 What can be done to relieve my pain?  What can we do if the pain medications don't work?  What side effects may occur with the pain medications?  What can be done to prevent or manage these side effects?  What side effects should I to report to you?  Will I become addicted to the pain medication?  What other options do I have for pain control? ...