Reply to Stage IV Metastatic Breast Cancer Diagnosis

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]OP where does your sister live and where is she getting treatment? This can make a huge difference in outcomes. I coordinate clinical trials for stage IV MBC & I can tell you it is NOT a death sentence. A lot depends on the specifics of her cancer and how she responds to treatment but it’s by no means a hopeless situation. I highly, highly recommend that your sister go to a research institute offering clinical trials, rather than a community hospital or cancer center if that’s at all practicable. She can also get a second opinion from Dana Farber or MD Anderson and continue with her local oncologist if she is comfortable with their treatment plan. If she’s interested in clinical trials you can search for open and enrolling trials on clinicaltrials.gov. If you need any help with that process I’ll be following this thread and I’m happy to help. Good luck and prayers. [/quote]

The average life expectancy after diagnosis is 3 years.  You will read about outliers who went on 15, 17 years, but that is rare.

Treatment can prolong life, but it unfortunately won't cure MBC.  Be prepared for her treatments to stop working and then switching to another.  Side effects vary with each treatment (e.g., hand-foot syndrome if on Xeloda).  Clinical trials are good to participate in but be prepared for them to have rather specific qualifications and may be hard to get into.  And she can be out of the trial after it's started, if something comes up in her health that precludes her from continuing.

I'm sorry, OP.  This sucks.  As others have said, let your sister take the lead.  [/quote]

A lot of cancer research is advancing rapidly right now. Even being able to last another 3 years may change your odds because of so many promising drugs on the cusp. I follow some research for a childhood cancer predisposition syndrome and just in 2020 a treatment with 70% effectiveness was approved where none had existed. [/quote]

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