metastatic breast cancer

Diagnostic procedures

• site of initial metastases should be biopsied to confirm diagnosis & assess estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor, & HER2 status which may be discordant from primary neoplasm
• axillary lymph node biopsy insufficient to confirm metastatic cancer
  • biopsy pulmonary nodule rather than axillary lymph node

Management

• metastatic breast cancer is not curable, but hormonal therapy can improve survival, alleviate symptoms, & improve quality of life for women with hormone receptor positive breast cancer

More general terms

• breast cancer

Additional terms

• Canadian support groups for patients with metastatic breast cancer study