Advanced breast cancer is also known as stage IV or metastatic breast cancer is the most advanced stage of breast cancer. It means, cancer has spread beyond the breasts and has spread to other organs such as lungs, bones, brain or liver. Although cancer spreads to the other parts of the body, it will still be given advanced breast cancer treatment. For instance, breast cancer that has spread to the lungs will be considered as advanced breast cancer and will be treated with breast cancer drugs.

Breast cancer treatment
Although science and technology have evolved like never before, there is no cure for advanced breast cancer. Breast cancer in its early stage if detected can be treated but same is not the case for advanced breast cancer. Typically, advanced breast cancer treatment focuses on the quality and length of life.

The treatment plan will be based on the below-mentioned factors:

• The symptoms you suffer
• The characteristics of the cancer cells
• The parts affected by cancer
• Organs that are affected by the spread of cancer cells
• Previous cancer treatments

Types of breast cancer treatment

• The first treatment is hormone therapy if at all the cancer is hormone-receptor positive.
• Anti-HER2 therapy drugs such as Herceptin (trastuzumab) may be given if cancer turns out to be HER2 positive.
• Radiation therapy and chemotherapy may be considered to slow down the growth of tumors or even help reduce the symptoms of cancer. However, you must understand that these therapies can affect the quality of your life.
• Other treatments such as targeted therapy and surgery may also be used to treat stage IV cancer patients.
• The doctor will first understand the quality of your life and then recommend a suitable advanced breast cancer treatment. The treatments may be given alone or in combination depending on which parts cancer has spread.

Advanced breast cancer treatment varies from one individual to another but there are certain guidelines that may help such people get quality care. These guidelines are provided by experts after the latest research and agreement by them. The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) and the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) are two respected organizations that review and update their guidelines regularly. For treatment overviews, you can trust the National Cancer Institute (NCI) to provide with the best.

You can even talk to your health provider about the guidelines they use for advanced breast cancer treatment. It has been observed that most physicians use the latest research and guidelines to treat their patients. All you need to ensure is to find a prominent health care provider near you.