What is metastatic breast cancer? Read More
Chances of survival are higher with early detection and treatment Read More
What are the available treatment options for breast cancer? Read More

Metastatic Breast Cancer

What are the changes I should watch out for to rule out breast cancer?

Some commonly found changes in the breast are: lump, thickening or dimple in breast, nipple changes with or without abnormal discharge, pain in the breast, inversion of nipple, redness or scaling of breast skin etc. To know more, click here.

What is metastatic breast cancer?

When, at later stage of the disease, cancer cells move out of its place of origin and invade surrounding areas, the cancer is referred to be ‘metastatic’. Metastatic cancer, also called stage IV breast cancer is that which has spread outside the breast tissue to other parts of the body. During metastasis, cancer cells travel through the bloodstream and penetrate blood and lymph vessels to reach and lodge in distant organs such as, lungs, liver, bones or brain. It is estimated that about 20-30% of women diagnosed with early stage breast cancer go on to develop metastatic disease.

What are some known risk factors of breast cancer?

Some potential risk factors of breast cancer have been reported. However, a set of risk factors may lead to cancer in one person, but not in the other – and we still do not know, why. Risk factors include age & family history, reproductive factors, body weight, lack of exercise etc. To know more, click here.

What is targeted therapy for breast cancer?

In targeted therapy, the drug selectively binds to soluble proteins or molecular markers on target cells. This binding directly or indirectly affects the growth of cancer cells – by either directing the cells to die or by restricting growth. This thus results in little harm to surrounding healthy cells. Bevacizumab, an anti-angiogenesis drug, is one such targeted therapeutic that acts by binding to VEGF (Vascular endothelial growth factor), and blocking VEGF activity. To know more on breast cancer therapy, click here.