Metastatic breast cancer is the most advanced stage of breast cancer. Even after treatment, some cancer cells may not die and continue multiplying. These cells may spread to other parts of the body through blood or lymphatic vessels and start the development of cancer in those areas. This stage of the cancer is called metastatic breast cancer.

Metastatic breast cancer can either recur, that is, the treatment for breast cancer may have completed, but the cancer cells that escaped from being killed make the cancer recur, or may happen during the course of treatment, when the cancer is so aggressive that it spreads out despite of the treatments, or, in some cases when diagnosis is very late, and the cancer has spread out, metastatic might be the very first diagnosis.

When breast cancer recurs, the breasts, bones, lungs, chest wall, liver and/or brain start developing it, and show changes. Breast cancer has the highest risk of spreading. If another kind of cancer develops after breast cancer has been treated, it is probably breast cancer recurring. This is good news, because breast cancer is more treatable than any other kind of cancer. Also, if the cancer comes back in the breast that was not diseased earlier, it is probably a new cancer, and not a recurrence.

It is very important to know about metastatic breast cancer because around 30% of women with breast cancer are later diagnosed with metastatic cancer. Metastatic breast cancer is best treatable when no organ, specifically the lungs and brain, develop cancer, or when the cancer cells show traces of estrogen or progesterone hormone receptors, or, when tumors still respond to therapies, or when there have not been many treatments the patient has already availed.

Metastatic breast cancer, owing to its nature, requires extensive treatment. Therapies like chemotherapy, hormonal treatment, immune therapy alone with regular mammograms, ultrasounds, CT scans, MRIs, bone scans etc. are necessary. The treatments can be purpose-specific. For treating the whole body, systemic therapies have to be implemented; for treatment of specific organs, local treatments like mastectomy and lumpectomy are done, and for alleviating pain, therapies along with oral aspirin intake are adopted.

Because metastatic breast cancer means cancer spreading to various parts of the body, complete sure is very difficult. There will come a point when you will have to stop undergoing treatment, even when your cancer is not fully cured. You have the choice of being treated indefinitely, but you have to know, the more number of therapies you take, the more the side-effects are. Also know that many women have lived fruitful lives while taking the treatment for the metastatic disease. It is hard to take decisions when your life is at stake, but it is also necessary that you do it. There is research going on for prolonging lives of people who have this disease, and that research will surely help you.

The prospect of surgery is never pleasant. But fortunately, breast cancer surgery today is more targeted than in years past. That leads to less scarring and quicker recovery, at the same time providing an effective treatment to lower the odds of recurrence.

Tools used to diagnose cancer are now more precise because the disease is understood on a greater level. Normal methods still largely apply, but they aren’t automatically used. Each case of cancer is different and analyzed differently. Breast cancer patients now have choices and are able to become active participants in the decision making process regarding their surgery.

A surgery method commonly used is a lumpectomy. Just like it sounds a lumpectomy is a surgery where the cancerous tumor is removed. There is a large range of choices when receiving a lumpectomy. The amount of tissues being removed from around the cancerous clump vary. Typically surgeons make decisions regarding how much of a reduction is necessary to reduce the chances of cancer recurring.

Depending on the size and location, and how long the tumor has been developing, one or more lymph nodes might be removed during a lumpectomy. The lymph nodes are oval, bean-sized glands that are part of a connected system that runs throughout the body. They play a major role in the immune system, fighting bacteria and the invasion of foreign bodies.

Once cancer has reached and infected a lymph node the cancer can easily and quickly spread all over the body through the blood vessels connecting the lymph nodes together. If this occurs it can make cancer extremely difficult to treat. Often times chemotherapy and even radiation treatments are necessary at this stage.

To reduce the chances of this occurring, surgeons usually remove one or more of the lymph nodes that are located close to a cancerous tumor. Lab tests are then conducted to check to see if the cancer has spread. Again each case is different and the options and actions should be discussed with the medical team involved.

Like other cancers, breast cancer develops in different stages. The stages are determined by the location, size and type of tumors that the cancer is comprised of. When breast cancer reaches a stage where it is necessary surgery may extend beyond a lumpectomy. The patient and the doctor might decide that a segmental or partial mastectomy is necessary.

During this particular procedure the patient has a significant amount of breast tissue removed. In many cases radiation therapy might also be used as part of the treatment plan and it is usually used for six to eight weeks. The goal of the oncologist is to be sure that all of the cancer was removed or that any cancerous tissue that the surgeon was unable to remove is completely destroyed through radiation.

In situation that are more extreme (which aren’t as frequent today) a mastectomy could be performed. In this case most or all of the breast is removed. When the procedure doesn’t require lymph nodes to be removed the procedure is called either a total or simple mastectomy. When it is necessary to remove all of the breast tissue and also the nipple and lymph nodes in the armpit the surgery is typically called a radical mastectomy.

When the surgeon is forced to remove the chest wall muscles also the procedure is referred to as a radical mastectomy. Luckily this action is extreme and usually not necessary today. When it is required reconstructive surgery and prosthetics can often be used to restore an individuals appearance completely.

A person’s length of stay in the hospital will vary depending upon the treatment that they undergo. These treatments can vary anywhere from outpatient surgery where a person is released the same day to a week for procedures that might be more intense. You have to find a physician that is willing to work with you to answer any and all of your questions in terms you will understand. This is the first step to ensuring for yourself proper treatment.