Metastatic breast cancer (MBC), also known as stage IV breast cancer or advanced stage breast cancer, ultimately affects approximately 20-25 percent of all people with breast cancer. There is no cure for MBC, but new developments in treatment and research are helping patients live longer and experience a better quality of life.
“There are women who live with MBC for many years, often five, ten years or more,” says Eric Winer, MD, director of the Breast Oncology Program in the Susan F. Smith Center for Women’s Cancers at Dana-Farber. “Although some women with metastatic breast cancer still face a shorter life span and may suffer numerous comlplications, we are trying to manage metastatic breast cancer as more of a chronic illness.”
Winer recently sat down for a live video webchat to discuss the latest in MBC treatment and research. The chat, which included questions submitted by patients and viewers, covered topics including clinical trials, potential risk factors, and managing symptoms of treatment.
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Although research has improved life for many patients with MBC, Winer says that there are still many unanswered questions. It is important, he says, to continue to push for basic and clinical research around breast cancer and MBC.
View a video of the October 23 webchat below. For more information on breast cancer and MBC, visit the website for the Susan F. Smith Center’s Breast Oncology Program.
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