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How is metastatic breast cancer treated differently from breast cancer that has not metastasized?

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Topics (Tags):

Breast Cancer Breast Cancer Treatment Options Metastatic Breast Cancer Treatment Options Metastasis Metastatic Cancer

Topics:

Breast Cancer X Breast Cancer Treatment Options X Metastatic Breast Cancer X Treatment Options X Metastasis X Metastatic Cancer X

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Diseases:

Breast Cancer

Diseases:

Breast Cancer

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Answers (1)

PaulaRyanMDPhD (Physician - Oncology - Hematology/Oncology (Verified) ) - 02 / 24 / 2012

In general, most chemotherapy medicines can be used to treat metastatic breast cancer until side effects become a problem or the medicine stops being effective. Breast cancer that has metastasized will often require continual treatment whereas treatment in the non-metastatic setting typically has a defined number or duration of treatments. For example, in the non-metastatic setting, a usual care plan includes surgery with or without radiation therapy, and some type of systemic (drug) therapy, with the drug therapy specified as a certain number of cycles (if chemotherapy) or a certain duration of treatment (for example, tamoxifen for 5 years). In metastatic breast cancer, the goal of medicines is to destroy or damage tumor cells and to shrink tumors or keep tumors stable and in order to do that we have to keep patients on treatment most of the time. Sometimes when the cancer is stable we can provide our patients with some time off or drug holiday but most of the time we have to consider some type of systemic therapy.

In general, most chemotherapy medicines can be used to treat metastatic breast cancer until side effects become a problem or the medicine stops being effective.  Breast cancer that has metastasized will often require continual treatment whereas treatment in the non-metastatic setting typically has a defined number or duration of treatments. For example, in the non-metastatic setting, a usual care plan includes surgery with or without radiation therapy, and some type of systemic (drug) therapy, with the drug therapy specified as a certain number of cycles (if chemotherapy) or a certain duration of treatment (for example, tamoxifen for 5 years). In metastatic breast cancer, the goal of medicines is to destroy or damage tumor cells and to shrink tumors or keep tumors stable and in order to do that we have to keep patients on treatment most of the time. Sometimes when the cancer is stable we can provide our patients with some time off or drug holiday but most of the time we have to consider some type of systemic therapy.

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Question Statistics

Latest Activity: 02 / 24 / 2012
Views: 166
Followed By: 2 members