Advanced breast cancer is different from locally advanced breast cancer. Locally advanced breast cancer is cancer (larger than 5 cm) that has spread to tissue around the breast or to a large number of lymph nodes. Advanced breast cancer is cancer that has spread to more distant body parts. It is also called metastatic or secondary breast cancer.
Breast cancer can spread to many different parts of the body, but it is most likely to spread to the bones, liver, lungs or brain.
Treatment options for advanced breast cancer
The treatment for advanced breast cancer varies from person to person. It will depend on the type of breast cancer and where in the body the cancer has spread.
The treatment for advanced breast cancer aims to control the spread of the cancer and relieve any symptoms you may develop. You may have one or more of the following treatments:
In some cases, radiation therapy may be used to reduce the size of the cancer and to relieve pain.
Surgery is not often used for advanced breast cancer, but it may be used to treat cancer in the bones, lungs, brain or liver.
While it’s not possible to cure advanced breast cancer at this time, these treatments may improve quality of life for many months and sometimes years.
For more information related to advanced breast cancer, see:
Breast Cancer Network Australia has more detailed information about advanced breast cancer. Visit bcna.org.au.
→ READ MORE: Managing the side effects of breast cancer
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Dr Diana Adams, Medical Oncologist, Macarthur Cancer Therapy Centre, NSW; Prof Bruce Mann, Specialist Breast Surgeon and Director, Breast Cancer Services, The Royal Melbourne and The Royal Women’s Hospitals, VIC; Dr Shagun Aggarwal, Specialist Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeon, Prince of Wales, Sydney Children’s and Royal Hospital for Women, NSW; Andrea Concannon, consumer; Jenny Gilchrist, Nurse Practitioner Breast Oncology, Macquarie University Hospital, NSW; Monica Graham, 13 11 20 Consultant, Cancer Council WA; Natasha Keir, Nurse Practitioner Breast Oncology, GenesisCare, QLD; Dr Bronwyn Kennedy, Breast Physician, Chris O’Brien Lifehouse and Westmead Breast Cancer Institute, NSW; Lisa Montgomery, consumer; A/Prof Sanjay Warrier, Specialist Breast Surgeon, Chris O’Brien Lifehouse, NSW; Dr Janice Yeh, Radiation Oncologist, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, VIC.
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