Approximately 4% of patients with breast cancer in the United States have metastatic disease, which occurs when cancer has spread beyond the breast and axillary lymph nodes to distant sites in the body. Despite significant recent advances in the treatment of breast cancer at earlier stages, about 30% of women eventually experience recurrence and metastatic disease. Although options for treating metastatic breast cancer (MBC) continue to improve, and many treatments that delay progression of disease, prolong survival, and improve quality of life are available, advanced disease remains essentially incurable. Mortality from MBC is highly dependent on stage at diagnosis, with a 5-year relative global survival rate of approximately 29% for patients with MBC. Locoregional therapies, such as radiation and surgery, target disease in a specific area by shrinking or removing it. However, recurrent or MBC must typically be approached systemically to ensure that therapeutic effects reach all sites of disease. These systemic approaches may include chemotherapy, hormone therapy and assessment of endocrine resistance, immunotherapy, targeted therapy, and genetic testing.
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Cite this: Mary L. Windle. Rapid Rx Quiz: Metastatic Breast Cancer - Medscape - Sep 22, 2023.
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