You may have heard of metastatic breast cancer and not know how it differs from other forms of breast cancer. In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October, here’s a rundown of what you need to know.
Definition
Metastatic breast cancer, also called advanced or stage four cancer, is cancer that spreads beyond the breast and begins to grow in at least one other part of the body. Cancer cells found elsewhere in the body are the same as the original cancer.
How it spreads
All cancers can spread from one part of the body to another. However, metastatic cancer only describes solid tumors like breast, prostate and lung cancers. This term is not used for cancers that are already present at the time of diagnosis, such as leukemia and lymphoma. Breast cancer, for example, tends to spread to the bones.
However, not all cancers spread. Many factors, including how quickly the cancer grows, the size of the original tumor, and how long it has been in the body, may or may not make breast cancer metastatic. The effectiveness of treatment also affects breast cancer metastasis.
Visit nationalbreastcancer.org or contact a healthcare professional for more information.
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