| The most frightening words imaginable for any | | | | your health care. Your doctors will consider |
| woman are those when she is told that she has | | | | where the cancer is located and what type of |
| breast cancer. The morbid thoughts run | | | | cancer treatments you had in the past. Your |
| through her head and the fear is | | | | wishes and quality of life are also important |
| overwhelming. Now she must endure medical | | | | factors. Treatment choices may include |
| treatments and examinations for several | | | | surgery, medicines like chemotherapy or |
| months as begins her battle against this | | | | hormone therapy, and radiation. Sometimes a |
| disease. Cancer is defined by four | | | | mix of these treatments is used and there can |
| different stages and metastatic breast cancer | | | | be side effects. Your doctor can tell you |
| is defined as stage 4 and it means that the | | | | what problems to expect and can help you find |
| cancer has spread beyond the breast and | | | | ways to manage and live with them during the |
| underarm lymph nodes to other part of the | | | | treatment phase. There may come a time with |
| body. Another way to explain this is that | | | | metastatic breast cancer when you make a |
| the cancer cells have migrated and are now | | | | decision that quality of life is more |
| growing outside of the original tumor. Women | | | | important than quantity. If the medical |
| who have stage IV breast cancer usually | | | | treatments are not working and the effects of |
| receive chemotherapy and or hormonal therapy | | | | them are more devastating than the actual |
| to destroy cancer cells and control the | | | | disease, you may have a choice to make. |
| disease. They may have surgery or radiation | | | | Some people make the decision after talking |
| therapy to control the cancer in the breast. | | | | to their family, friends and doctors to shift |
| Radiation may also be useful to control | | | | the focus of their treatments from attempting |
| tumors in other parts of the body. The | | | | to cure the disease to staying comfortable |
| symptoms of metastatic breast cancer varies | | | | and enjoying life. The care at this point is |
| depend on where the cancer is and how large | | | | entirely focused on providing symptom relief |
| it is. The most common places for breast | | | | as well as support for you and your family so |
| cancer to spread are within the breast or to | | | | that everyone can make the most of the time |
| the nearby chest wall or to the liver, lungs, | | | | remaining. The final choice for your care |
| or bones. Common symptoms include a lump in | | | | after you have been diagnosed with metastatic |
| your breast or on your chest wall, bone pain, | | | | breast cancer if yours! And, you should |
| or shortness of breath. It is also possible | | | | make informed decision after talking to your |
| that you will not have any symptoms and that | | | | doctors and family members. Medical advances |
| the only way to keep yourself healthy is to | | | | in this area are moving forward every day and |
| be proactive and to take an active role in | | | | you never know when the cure will be found. |
| your health care. It may be necessary to | | | | |
| have continuous laboratory tests and x-rays | | | | For more information on breast cancer visit |
| to determine whether or not the cancer has | | | | - a website that specializes in breast cancer |
| spread. Work with your doctors to plan your | | | | related information and resources including |
| medical treatments and to be a partner in | | | | information on metastatic breast cancer. |