Stage 4 breast cancer?

123>What is the life expectancy for someone with stage IV breast cancer, age is early 60's. They've decided to only treat it with hormones (anti-estrogen) because of how far it's spread.
Reply:Hi,


In medicine , life expectancy for that condition, lower than 50%.


But in real life, there's a lot survival from this condition. People with cancer need all support and learn to be positive thinker, that could be a major help for them to survive.


Contact any cancer caregiver group in your country, gather and learn everything you need to know to survive as : keep out infection or reduce pain.





Be positive and supportive.
Reply:I'm sorry, but this is a question that nobody who replies here will be able to answer.





She/he needs to talk it over with their oncologist, but even doctors can only estimate, not necessarily correctly, and will not always do that.





So many factors need to be taken into account - where has the cancer spread to for example?





There are so many variables. Only someone qualified and in possession of the individual's details can begin to comment on this. Please, if anyone on here tries to give you a definite answer, ignore them. The same if someone tries to tell you there's a cure or a chance to beat this - there isn't now that the cancer has metastasized, I'm so sorry. However, I hope this person lives for many more years.
Reply:I too have stage 4 breast cancer, I've had all the treatments from chem, surgery, radiation and also on hormone therapy. Tamoxifen for the next five years. No one not even her oncologist can tell her how long she has to live. My response was that I will have ct scans every 4 months and that hormone therapy will help keep my cancer in control and to keep from spreading any further. I was told that this cancer will kill me eventually but not tomorrow. My mother in law had her breast removed and they put her on hormone therapy also but she is 82 years old and has been doing fine. Cancer is also a mental thing, she needs to think positive and go on with life. Sorry but no one is promised tomorrow. She just needs to live life to the fullest. Try to keep her from worrying because i believe allot of the years we have left have to deal with a mental attitude. Good luck! and God Bless!
Reply:My mom just died on July 29th, 2007 and she had stage IV metastatic breast CA. and she fouoght for SOOO long (2 yrs.) it spread to her liver, lungs, and spleen. she went thru different chemos and finally from the first time of having cancer, and from all the chemo damage, her heart gave out. she had congestive heart failure, cardiac myopathy, shortness of breath, all the above. she went in to the hospital july 16th and they put a ventilator in her and it never came out til we took it out and she was already gone when they did. :( but the docs said that it would be an ongoing thing in and out of hospital bc of the shortness of breath, it sux.she was only 54 :( and im 27. and i hate that i have to grow up without her..
Reply:I am stage IV BC patient, and they expect me to be able to manage the cancer indefinately. However, the only organs effected so far is my liver. The rest is in my bones.





I've had really good results from tamoxifen (orally), but I've also been on taxol and taxotere (chemos). I am Progesterone Receptor Positive, and Estrogen Receptor Positive and HER2 Negative. These things do determine the best course of action. I am very curious as to why her oncologist is not pursuing chemotheraly? There are a lot of new drugs out there that can really help to give good results and help with the quality of life that is left.





I also had radiation to my neck and spine, but that was a very rough road and I would only recomend that as a last resort. I am healing well from it, but combined with the chemo, it had a very nasty reaction to my throat, lungs, and skin.





If you are not happy with what you are being told, please seek a second (third, fourth, or fifth) opinion. I've learned a long time ago that I had to be my own advocate. No one else is going to do it for me. Research everything you can and ask as many questions as you can. And most importantly - don't give up!!! 60 is way too young to believe that it isn't worth fighting. You've got a long way to go baby!!!





Check out breastcancer.org to find more answers or at least talk to other people who are going through what you are on the message boards. There are so many fantastic women there fighting the battle.





Good luck to you! I am sorry that you are having to go through this!!


Jen
Reply:Patients diagnosed with stage IV or metastatic breast cancer have disease that has spread to one or more sites in the body distant from the affected breast. Historically, doctors have considered patients with metastatic breast cancer to have incurable cancer and the goal of treatment has been to provide relief from symptoms and prolong the duration and quality of life.





Most new treatments are developed in clinical trials. Clinical trials are studies that evaluate the effectiveness of new drugs or treatment strategies. The development of more effective cancer treatments requires that new and innovative therapies be evaluated with cancer patients. Participation in a clinical trial may offer access to better treatments and advance the existing knowledge about treatment of this cancer. Clinical trials are available for most stages of cancer. Patients who are interested in participating in a clinical trial should discuss the risks and benefits of clinical trials with their physician. To ensure that you are receiving the optimal treatment of your cancer, it is important to stay informed and follow the cancer news in order to learn about new treatments and the results of clinical trials.





Management of metastatic breast cancer mainly utilizes chemotherapy and/or hormonal therapy; however surgery, radiation and other treatment modalities can play an important role. Historically, post-menopausal women with estrogen receptor positive breast cancer were considered incurable and therefore were treated with hormonal therapy to control symptoms and prolong survival. Pre-menopausal women and those with estrogen receptor negative cancers were routinely treated with chemotherapy to improve symptoms and prolong survival. Based on the results of more recent clinical studies, it now appears that some individuals with metastatic breast cancer may be cured with chemotherapy.





Individuals with metastatic breast cancer survive on average 12-24 months with current treatment. When cancer involves the liver or other organs, survival may be shorter, and when cancer only involves the skin or bones, it may be longer. Standard treatment of metastatic breast cancer may consist of one or more of the following: hormonal therapy, chemotherapy, radiation, or biologic therapy with Herceptin庐 (trastuzumab). Whether or not the breast cancer has estrogen or progesterone receptors determines whether hormonal therapy is a treatment option. If the cancer does not have estrogen or progesterone receptors, the mainstay of treatment is chemotherapy.





Before deciding to receive treatment, patients should ensure they understand the answers to 4 questions:





* What is my prognosis without treatment?


* What are the treatment options available?


* How will my prognosis be improved with treatment?


* What are the risks of treatment?