FDA Approves New Treatments for Two Rare Diseases
Stage 4 Breast Cancer Survival Rates And Prognosis
Metastatic breast cancer, or stage 4 breast cancer, means cancer has spread to other organs and may result in new symptoms. There's no cure, but with treatment, survival rates continue to improve over time.
If your doctor has made a diagnosis of metastatic breast cancer, this means that the cancer has advanced to what's known as stage 4.
Stage 4 breast cancer refers to cancer that's spread beyond the breast tissue and local lymph nodes into other areas of the body.
To understand the prognosis, or outlook, for stage 4 breast cancer, it helps to know something about the process of metastasis. When cancer "metastasizes," it has spread beyond the part of the body where it originated.
In the case of breast cancer, receiving a stage 4 diagnosis may mean the cancer has reached organs outside the breasts, like your bones or your lungs. In this article, we'll go over what to expect when it comes to metastatic breast cancer, from prognosis to treatment.
Metastatic breast cancer isn't the same for everyone who has it.
Your symptoms at stage 4 will depend on the degree to which the cancer has spread in your body.
The following factors can affect your life expectancy with metastatic breast cancer:
According to the American Cancer Society and based on the National Cancer Center (NCL)'s Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) program, the overall 5-year survival rate after diagnosis for people with stage 4 breast cancer is 31%. This percentage is considerably lower than in earlier stages. For all stages, the overall 5-year survival rate is 91%.
Because survival rates are higher in the early stages of breast cancer, early diagnosis and treatment are crucial. But remember: The right treatment for stage 4 breast cancer can improve quality of life and longevity.
Generally, younger females assigned at birth (FAABs) seem more likely to develop aggressive forms of breast cancer that spread to multiple locations. Medical professionals typically diagnose older FAABs with later-stage cancer, more often involving breast cancer that has spread to the lungs.
According to a 2023 study, the 5-year survival rates based on age are:
Notably, some research suggests that people belonging to historically marginalized groups often have poorer outcomes than people who are white when it comes to cancer, including breast cancer.
For example, a 2022 study found that the 5-year survival rate for breast cancer in Black women is 71.1% compared to 82.4% in women who are white. This, in turn, may be lower depending on each person's age, type and stage of cancer, and general health.
According to the study, people who belong to historically marginalized groups may experience a greater burden of stress and negative life events, which is associated with a later diagnosis, more aggressive tumors, and low quality of life.
The most frequently affected areas by the spread of breast cancer are the bones, liver, lungs, and brain. Breast cancer that has spread to these sites has the following 5-year survival rate, according to a 2019 study:
Survival with breast cancer can also be affected by the subtype of cancer you have. In about 15-20% of people, breast cancer produces higher levels of a protein called HER2, which causes the tumor to grow faster.
Although this type of cancer is aggressive, it also responds well to treatment, especially if it also tests positive for the hormone receptors of estrogen (ER+) and progesterone (PR+).
These are the 5-year survival rates for these subtypes based on SEER data:
In addition, according to a 2022 study, people who received systemic therapy and those who received local surgery procedures had similar overall survival rates after 3 years of 67.9% and 68.4%, respectively.
That said, while surgery didn't improve people's overall survival and quality of life, it did lead to a lower occurrence of local tumor progression.
There are a few general facts that are helpful to know about breast cancer outlook:
Although metastatic breast cancer has no current cure, medical professionals can treat it. Getting the right treatment can increase both your quality of life and longevity.
People with metastatic breast cancer need to receive treatments for the rest of their lives. If a certain treatment stops being effective, another treatment regimen may be more effective.
Can stage 4 breast cancer go into remission?Stage 4 breast cancer can go into remission, meaning that medical professionals can't detect it in imaging or other tests. Advances in stage 4 breast cancer treatments are helping to increase the length of remission. That said, in most cases, even if stage 4 cancer goes into remission, it's likely to reoccur later.
Learn more about stage 4 breast cancer remission and recurrence.
Can I live 10 years with metastatic breast cancer?According to a 2016 study, the 10-year survival rate for stage 4 breast cancer is around 13%.
The stage of your breast cancer at diagnosis plays an important role in your outlook.
According to the NCL's SEER data, you have the best outlook in the 5 years after your breast cancer diagnosis when a medical professional diagnoses the cancer and treats it at an earlier stage.
Remember that everyone is different, and your response to treatment may not match someone else's — even at stage 4. Researchers continue to test different treatment options for metastatic breast cancer. Each year, the outlook improves.
Talk with your doctor to learn more about the individual factors that may affect your outlook.
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This New Medicine Can Treat Types Of Pancreatic Cancer
In a scientific breakthrough, a new medicine has been approved by the United States Foods and Drug administration (FDA) that can treat types of pancreatic cancer, Fox News reported.
Onivyde (irinotecan liposome) is the first medicine in nearly a decade that can treat the aggressive illness that has an average life expectancy of only eight to 11 months.
The drug was approved after a controlled trial was conducted on 770 patients with metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma and who had not previously received any chemotherapy.
The patients were injected with the new regimen which includes Onivyde, oxaliplatin, fluorouracil and leucovorin.
According to the results, the patients showed "significant improvements in survival rates and response rates".
Dr Zev Wainberg, professor of medicine and co-director of the UCLA GI Oncology Program in Los Angeles, said, "I am hopeful that this regimen represents a new reference, meaning we will add to this in the future."
However, Dr Marc Siegel, clinical professor of medicine at NYU Langone Medical Center, said that although "the drug is a useful new tool, it is not a game-changer."
Pancreatic cancer is the eighth most common type of cancer in females and tenth most common in males.
Its symptoms include loss of appetite, belly pain, dark coloured urine, jaundice, and weight loss.
Understanding Renal Cell Carcinoma (Kidney Cancer) Stages
Doctors classify renal cell carcinoma in stages to determine how to best treat it and predict how the cancer will act. There are several classification options.
Renal cell carcinoma is the most common kidney cancer. People who have obesity or smoke are at an increased risk. It's often curable when contained in your kidney or surrounding area but becomes difficult to treat once it spreads to distant body parts.
The most common staging system is the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC)'s TNM system. This staging system divides kidney cancer into stages 1–4. Read on to learn more about this staging system.
The TNM system classifies kidney cancer as stages 1–4 based on:
These three factors are staged independently and used to determine your overall stage.
T (tumor)The T in the TNM system has five grades, T0–T4.
The N in the TNM system has three grades, N0–NX.
The M in the TNM system has two grades, M0 and M1.
Once doctors know your individual TNM stages, they can use these to determine your cancer's overall stage by combining your three scores.
Doctors use your TNM scores to divide your cancer from stages 0–4:
Here's a look at each stage.
Stage 1 renal cell carcinomaStage 1 kidney cancer is in your kidney, and your original tumor is smaller than 7 cm (2.8 in.) across. Your cancer hasn't spread to lymph nodes or distant body parts.
Stage 2 renal cell carcinomaStage 2 renal cell carcinoma has grown larger than 7 cm (2.8 in.) across but still hasn't spread outside your kidney.
Stage 3 renal cell carcinomaYou may receive a diagnosis of stage 3 renal cancer in one of two situations:
You may receive a diagnosis of stage 4 renal cell carcinoma in one of two situations:
Doctors use terms other than the TNM system and numbered stages to classify the spread of renal cell carcinoma.
Metastatic renal cell carcinomaMetastatic renal cell carcinoma is when your cancer has spread to distant tissues. Metastatic cancer is the same as M1 or stage 4.
SEER stagingThe National Cancer Institute doesn't use the TNM system to report survival statistics in its Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) program. Instead, it divides cancer into three stages:
Renal cell carcinoma makes up more than 90% of kidney cancers, so its survival rate is similar to the overall survival rate for kidney cancer. Here's a look at the 5-year relative survival rates in the United States for kidney cancer from 2013–2019:
Here are some frequently asked questions people have about renal cell carcinoma.
What are the stages of renal cell carcinoma?Under the TJCC's TNM system, renal cell carcinoma involves stages 1–4. Doctors stage it based on the extent of your tumor, whether it's spread to nearby lymph nodes, and whether it's spread to distant body parts.
Where is the first place kidney cancer spreads to?The most common places that kidney cancer spreads to are your:
Doctors do not typically consider Stage 4 kidney cancer kidney cancer as curable, and it generally has a poor outlook. Treatment often revolves around minimizing and managing your symptoms.
The AJCC's TNM staging system is the most common staging system for renal cell carcinoma. This system divides your cancer into stages 1–4 based on the extent of your tumor, whether it's spread to lymph nodes, and whether it's spread to distant body parts.
Your doctor can recommend the best treatment options for your cancer based on its stage. They can also give you the best idea of what to expect during your treatment.
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