Diffuse breast cancer is the last stage of cancer advancement. This means that the cancer cells from the breast have metastasized to distant organs. Diffuse breast cancer is practically impossible to cure, and the patient has an average life span of 19 months from diagnosis. Find out how disseminated breast cancer develops, how to recognize its symptoms and what attempts are being made to treat it.
Diffuse breast cancer( metastatic breast cancer ) is the fourth and final stage of breast cancer. This means that the cancer cells from the primary tumor (from the breast) have spread to other, distant organs, where they form new tumors ( metastases ).
Diffuse breast cancer usually results from a late visit of the patient to the doctor. However, it can also spread cancer around the body in women who have been diagnosed with cancer at an early stage and have successfully received treatment. Removal of tumor- altered tissue does not always mean a complete recovery.
The research shows that in nearly half of the cured patients, the risk ofrecurrence of cancerin places other than the breast should be taken into account.Cancer recurrencecan occur at any time after stopping treatment (even after 10-12 years), but most often it occurs in the first three to five years after stopping treatment.
Diffuse breast cancer - symptoms
The symptoms of cancer metastasis depend on where it grows again.
- lymph nodes: thickening in the armpits, on the neck or around the collarbones
- dice:
- bone pain
- pathological fractures (long bones and even of the spine), the so-called compression fractures, where the vertebrae compress, leading to a shortening and deepening of the spine's curvature
- lungs - difficulty breathing
- cough
- shortness of breath, etc.
- skin: lump in the skin or subcutaneous tissue
- liver:
- lack of appetite
- weight loss
- stomach pains
- jaundice
- brain: severe headache, especially the one with
- nausea
- dizziness
- visual disturbance
- imbalance
Diffuse breast cancer - causes.How does metastasis occur?
Cancer cells may detach from the primary tumor and enter the blood and lymph vessels. From here, they can spread to different places in the body and form new tumors (metastases). Another mechanism that allows cancer cells to enter the bloodstream is the growth of changed tissues directly into the walls of the blood vessels.
Most breast cancer metastases are located in the lymph nodes of the armpit. Lymph nodes are involved in 1 in every 3 women with breast cancer. Other organs where breast cancer frequently spreads include the brain, skin, lungs, liver, and bones.
Diffuse breast cancer - risk factors
Scientists assume that the more advanced the neoplastic process at diagnosis, the greater the risk that the lymph nodes are affected by the proliferative process and thatdistant metastases will develop . Although it also happens that very small tumor foci spread very intensively almost from the very first moments of development.
Disseminated breast cancer - diagnosis
In addition to an interview and medical examination, blood tests are also performed. Depending on the results of these tests and the information collected during the interview, the doctor may decide to perform:
- ultrasound of the abdominal cavity (to locate possible liver cancer)
- bone scintigraphy (or X-ray of the bone) to detect bone metastases
- chest x-rays
Regular gynecological examinations are also very important as cancer can spread to the ovaries and uterus.
Diffuse breast cancer - treatment
The early stages of breast cancer are treatable in most cases, while the treatment of disseminated breast cancer is poor. Treatment failure of disseminated breast cancer is largely associated with the development of drug resistance in tumor cell clones. Therefore, in the disseminated stage of developmentthe disease is practically incurable , and the treatment is palliative (alleviating the symptoms of the disease in terminally ill patients).
One of the palliative procedures is palliative mastectomy. The operation consists in removing the breasts of a woman who has been diagnosed with stage IV cancer. Another method of palliative treatment is resection (excision) of metastatic lesions.
To improve treatment outcomes, attempts are made to intensify chemotherapy. This goal can be achieved by increasing the doses of anti-cancer drugs, shortening the intervals between cycles, or a combination of both.
Important checkups and breast self-examination
Cancer resumein distantorgan damage may occur even 12 years after stopping treatment. Therefore, every woman after breast cancer treatment should be subject to an individually tailored control plan in order to detect possible recurrence or metastasis as soon as possible. During the first two years after the diagnosis of the disease, check-ups should take place every three months, then up to five years - every six months, and then once a year. However, the most important thing isbreast self-examination- because no one knows their own body as well as the patient. Therefore, it is he himself who can quickly notice even the smallest changes in the appearance or structure of the breast. Breast self-examination is recommended for people over the age of 20 and should be performed monthly, preferably after the end of menstruation.