What is metastatic breast cancer? Metastatic breast cancer is breast cancer that has spread beyond the breast to other organs in the body, most often the bones, lungs, liver or, less commonly, brain. Several words are commonly used to describe metastatic breast cancer, which can make it sound complicated and confusing. However, these terms mean the same thing.
Metastatic breast cancer is also called: • stage IV (4) breast cancer • secondary breast cancer • advanced breast cancer.
When referring to a specific area or “site” of metastatic breast cancer, the term “secondary” is often used, e.g. a secondary site in the bone. The word “metastases” can also be used to describe these secondary sites, e.g. bone metastases. The original cancer in the breast is referred to as the “primary” site. Although metastatic breast cancer has spread to another part of the body, it is considered and treated as breast cancer. For example, breast cancer that has spread to the bones is still breast cancer – not bone cancer – and is treated with breast cancer drugs, rather than treatments for a cancer that began in the bones. If you have metastatic breast cancer at your first diagnosis of breast cancer, it is called “de novo” metastatic breast cancer. It is more common for metastatic breast cancer to occur months or years (sometimes more than 20 years) after you were diagnosed with early breast cancer, and it may occur during or long after completion of your initial treatment.
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Breast Cancer Network Australia
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