What Is Metastatic Breast Cancer?
Actress Shannen Doherty, best known for her role in “Beverly Hills, 90210,” died on July 13 after facing breast cancer for almost a decade.
Peter Forsyth, MD
Doherty was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 2015. Although her disease was in remission after initial treatment, it returned in 2020 and spread to her bones and brain.
Brain metastases occur in about 10% to 15% of women with stage 4 triple-negative or HER2-positive breast cancer, according to Peter Forsyth, MD, chair of the Neuro-Oncology Department at Moffitt Cancer Center. In some cases, the breast cancer metastasizes directly to the brain; in others, the breast cancer metastasizes to another area of the body — such as the lungs, liver or bones — before it reaches the brain.
What Is Metastatic Breast Cancer?
Metastatic breast cancer is stage 4 disease that has spread from the original location in the breast to other areas of the body. The most common areas for metastases are the lungs, liver, bones and brain.
Both women and men can have metastatic breast cancer. According to the American Cancer Society, the five-year survival rate for women with metastatic breast cancer is 31%, for men, it is 20%.
According to the Susan G. Komen, an estimated 168,000 women in the United States are living with metastatic breast cancer. Most often, metastatic breast cancer arises years after an individual has completed treatment for early or locally advanced breast cancer. About 6% of women in the U.S. have metastatic breast cancer when they are diagnosed, which is called de novo metastatic breast cancer.
Although metastatic breast cancer can’t be cured today, it can be treated with:
- Chemotherapy
- Radiation therapy
- Hormone therapy
- Immunotherapy
- Traditional and minimally invasive surgery
Moffitt also offers clinical trials to give patients access to treatment options that aren’t yet available in other settings with the goal of finding a cure for metastatic breast cancer instead of managing it as a chronic disease.
