Metastatic breast cancer

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Metastatic breast cancer, also referred to as advanced breast cancer, secondary tumors, secondaries or stage IV breast cancer, is a stage of breast cancer in which malignant cells arising from breast tissue have spread to distant sites beyond the regional lymph nodes. Stage IV is the most advanced stage of breast cancer. Metastatic breast cancer cannot be cured, but it can be treated to enable women to live longer and to lessen symptoms. Metastasis can occur several years after the primary breast cancer, although it is sometimes diagnosed at the same time as the primary breast cancer or, rarely, before the primary breast cancer has been diagnosed. A 2021 global metanalysis of over 400 studies suggests that between 6% and 22% of women with breast cancer develop metastases. From 6-10% of women have cancer that has already spread beyond the breast at the time of first diagnosis, referred to as de novo stage IV cancer. Breast cancer metastases can appear anywhere in the body but most often...

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