What is secondary breast cancer?
Secondary breast cancer, also known as metastatic breast cancer or metastatic disease, occurs when breast cancer has spread beyond the breast to other parts of the body. This happens when cancer cells travel from the original tumor to distant organs, forming new tumors called secondary Show Full Answer
What is secondary breast cancer?
Secondary breast cancer, also known as metastatic breast cancer or metastatic disease, occurs when breast cancer has spread beyond the breast to other parts of the body. This happens when cancer cells travel from the original tumor to distant organs, forming new tumors called secondary tumors.
The most common places where breast cancer spreads include:
* Bones
* Liver
* Lungs
* Brain
This is considered stage 4 breast cancer, the most advanced stage. Between 6 and 10 percent of women are initially diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer. Additionally, about 30 percent of women diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer (stage 0 or stage 1) may eventually develop metastatic breast cancer.
It's important to understand that secondary breast cancer is different from a second primary cancer, which would be a completely new, unrelated cancer developing in a different part of the body.
January 20
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