Having been diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer is a tough pill to swallow and can be scarier, is often a more ill-being than a pre-symptomatic stage breast cancer diagnosis.

Metastatic or spread of breast cancer is often a more challenging battle to a more complex treatment approach, where the disease has spread from its origin in the breast to other parts of the body – that’s why it’s also named secondary breast cancer.

 

This neoplasia or abnormal growth of new tissues starts at the glandular tissue or mammary gland, unlike Benign neoplasms, it spreads from surrounding nearby tissues to distant organs and then becomes metastases cancer. In this situation, your oncologists often say – “cancer has spread”.

  

Does treatment still possible even with cancer spreading to other parts of the body? Has anyone been cured of stage 4 breast cancer? That’s a different chapter, will talk about in a subsequent article. But with personalised and well-thought-out treatment, many individuals can live with the disease for years and maintain a good quality of life.

 

What is metastatic breast cancer?

Metastasis occurs when cancer cells spread from their point of origin, travel via the bloodstream or lymphatic nodes or vessels, and form new tumours in other body parts.

The biological events of metastasis breast cancer, also known as stage IV breast cancer, delineates the path where the cancer cells have spread surrounding tissues and other organs, such as the liver, lungs, bones, brain, etc.

 

Months or years after the initial diagnosis and treatment, breast cancer can resurface in another area of the body. This condition is referred to as metastatic relapse or distant recurrence.

In other medical terms, dnMBC (de novo metastatic breast cancer) has been used when diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer. It means when cancer has already been spread out in the body from the initial stage of breast cancer.

 

Approximately, among those diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer, out of 30% of women might develop metastatic breast cancer.

 

Invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC), also called infiltrating ductal carcinoma is most common (85%) type of BC (breast cancer), that spreads surrounding breast tissue.

Invasive ductal breast cancer tends to spread the second most commonly to the bones, lungs, liver, and brain. Other invasive lobular carcinoma (ILC) accounts for approximately 12% of breast cancer cases. ILC typically metastasises to various organs, including the uterus, ovaries, stomach, intestines, and sometimes in the brain.

 

Professor Carlo Palmieri from the University of Liverpool (Translational Oncology) and associated Consultant in Medical Oncology at “The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre NHS Foundation Trust”, as the specialist in cancer care, used curated patient turnover rate based on Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) to count the population-based metastatic breast cancer studies in England.

 

His study, “Estimated Prevalence of Metastatic Breast Cancer in England, 2016-2021,” secondary care records revealed that in 2020-2021, among all, 57,215 patients were living with metastatic breast cancer, reflecting the negative growth, which means an increase from 38,350 in 2016-2017.

 

These secondary care records have indicated to us how the figure has changed over the previous five years and the importance of higher clinical activity in cancer treatment and care.

Professor Palmieri also emphasised that these NHS data are vital for regular screening, treatment planning, cancer management, and the availability of early-stage cancer diagnosis and treatment resources.

 

Know The Symptoms Of Metastatic Breast Cancer!

The common symptoms of metastatic breast cancer may vary based on where and how far the cancer has metastasised or spread and what type of metastatic cells exist.

Some general symptoms of secondary or stage 4 breast cancer can include excessive fatigue, unexplained weight loss, and low appetite, but these may have been linked with other mental disorders, side effects of medication, chronic illnesses, depression, etc.

Here are some specific symptoms that may manifest are listed below, depending on the area and type of tissue affected by the cancer.

 

Bone Metastasis may result in:

• Fragility fractures
• Hypercalcemia (higher than normal calcium levels in the blood)
• Spinal cord compression
• Often CIBP (cancer-induced bone pain)
• Swelling

Brain Metastasis may lead to:

• Persistent form of Hemicrania continua
• Speech disturbance and double vision
• Cause frequent vomiting or feeling nauseated
• Behavioural changes
• Drowsiness
• Memory loss
• Hearing loss

Liver Metastasis may cause:

• Discomfort in the abdomen
• Itching in the body
• Distressful Cholestasis Jaundice
• Often vomiting, or nausea
• Hypertransaminasemia (higher levels of liver enzymes)

        

Lung Metastasis may cause as:

• Hypoxia and Asphyxiation (dyspnea)
• Chest pain and chronic cough
• Nail clubbing

 

If you are going through treatment for breast cancer and notice any of these signs, consult your GP immediately. Early detection of breast cancer is very important to avoid such consequences, if caught, must go through effective treatment.

 

Additionally, if you are among those who a breast cancer survivors or family history of breast cancer and you have experienced these symptoms, notify your doctor about these changes and share your medical background on a priority basis.

 

Linked To Inherited Mutations and Metastatic Breast Cancer!

• Greater prevalence of genetic or inherited mutations of BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes are solely responsible for approximately 57% of cumulative breast cancer cases among women. (Source)
• The prevalence of BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutations is approximately 1 in 400 in the general population, but among those of Ashkenazi Jewish descent, there is a likelihood chance that 1 in 40 carries a mutated gene. (Source)

 

Diagnostic Procedure of Metastatic Breast Cancer:

If you face any of these above-mentioned symptoms, your GP may suggest the following tests:

• Biopsy Procedure: Remove tissue or take cells from the body, so a medical pathologist can study them under a microscope.
• Blood tests: Measure through complete blood count and comprehensive metabolic panel test.
• Bronchoscopy Procedure: This minimally invasive process lets doctors have a look inside your lungs — to diagnose lung affected areas.
• 3D Imaging or Breast Screening: This includes 3D breast CT scans, bone scans, X-rays, MRI, ultrasound, etc.

 

Does metastatic breast cancer be preventable?

Sadly, there is currently no way to prevent breast cancer from metastasising. It is important to know that metastatic breast cancer is not a result of something you did, it’s an action you didn’t do. On the contrary, it can occur if some cancerous cells survive during treatment and spread through the bloodstream or the lymph nodes.

Koning 3d breast CT screening technique could assess breast density microcalcifications evaluating and tumour characteristics visualisations at a deeper state, giving you a 360-degree overview of the breast there, so no cancerous lesions hide in the breasts.

 

How can lower the risk of metastatic breast cancer?

The best practice to lower the risk of metastatic breast cancer is to maintain overall health and undergo regular breast screening with no pain mammography procedures, such as a Koning 3D breast CT FDA-approved Medical Equipment can reasonably lower such metastatic breast cancer incidence rates.

 

It is important to follow the guidelines provided by your GP and seek regular medical attention if potential metastatic cancer symptoms may recur. Although treatment cannot cure metastatic cancer, it can still slow down its progression.

 

A Message of Hope:

It is important to remember that metastatic breast cancer does not signify feeling hopeless. Many individuals lead fulfilling lives despite being diagnosed with stage IV breast cancer. With a variety of treatment options available, the ongoing development of new early-stage breast cancer screening techniques and state-of-the-art medicines shows hope for people to live life to the fullest with metastatic breast cancer.

Application of Koning 3D breast CT:

Koning Vera 3D CT technology has goals to encourage more women to feel comfortable with no compressions screening experience. This high-resolution 3D imaging used in Koning breast CT FDA approved breast screening equipment helps in early-stage breast cancer identifications with greater accuracy.

 

While progress in early-stage detection of malignancy, or its precursor lesion and treatment, has cut down breast cancer mortality rates significantly, but many women still avoid screenings due to lack of information, unavailability of their local GPs or health centres UK, financial constraints, or fear of discomfort during breast screening with traditional mammography methods.

 

Must Reduce Breast Cancer Mortalities Through Early-Stage Koning 3D Breast CT Diagnosis and Management!

So, we urged all NHS, healthcare advocates, private hospitals, and NHS-affiliated trusts should come forward to offer such facilities to their communities. Must lower the breast cancer incidence.

 

Euronox Medical has now been appointed as the official distributor of Koning 3D Breast CT Medical Equipment across various regions like the UK, Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Caribbean. This medical equipment produces compression-free high-contrast real 3D images, with excellent spatial resolution. All without discomfort and a lower risk of radiation levels effects, regular breast screening can improve women’s survival rates.

 

As now we celebrate Breast Cancer Awareness Month, we acknowledge the growths made in the fight against breast cancer to persistently support greater inclusivity and progress for all women. For more insights about Koning 3D breast CT Medical Equipment and our mission, click our Medical Equipment & Healthcare Supplies page – we are here to support you every step of the way.