What Are the Chances of Surviving Metastatic Breast Cancer?

Metastatic breast cancer is an advanced form of cancer that has spread beyond the breast to distant lymph nodes or to other areas of the body. Survival rates for the disease are relatively low.

The Facts

According to the American Cancer Society (ACS), breast cancer most typically metastasizes (spreads) to the brain, liver, bone or lung. Although located in another part of the body, these cancers retain the physical characteristics of primary breast cancer cells.

Cancer Staging

Cancers receive a grading according to their level of severity, with stage 0 as the least severe and stage four as the most severe, according to the ACS. Metastatic breast cancer is classified as a form of stage four, or advanced, cancer.

Determining Survival Figures

The ACS draws its survival figures on all forms of breast cancer from the National Cancer Institute's Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) database. This database groups survival rates by cancer stage, based on the number of individuals who survive five years past their initial diagnosis.

Metastatic Breast Cancer Survival Rates

Women with stage four breast cancer have an average 20 percent chance of surviving at least five years.

Considerations

BreastCancer.org notes that survival rates for metastatic breast cancer saw only slight improvement from 1995 to 2005, despite the development of new treatments.

References

• American Cancer Society: How Is Breast Cancer Staged?
• National Cancer Institute: Metastatic Cancer - Questions and Answers
• BreastCancer.org: ASCO Breast: Survival in Metastatic Breast Cancer Static Despite New Agents

Resources

• Metastatic Breast Cancer Network