October 13 is Metastatic Breast Cancer Awareness Day
Every October, we “go pink” for breast cancer awareness. However, this feel-good campaign does little to actually save the lives of women (& men) with the breast cancer that kills.
Metastatic breast cancer, also known as Stage IV breast cancer, is breast cancer that has spread to other areas of the body. Metastatic breast cancer is what actually kills women (& men) with breast cancer.
Metastatic breast cancer is incurable. Let me emphasize this point again: there is no cure for metastatic breast cancer.
Most people diagnosed with breast cancer will be diagnosed with early stage breast cancer (Stages I-III). However, 6-10% of women diagnosed with breast cancer will already be at Stage IV. And even patients with early stage breast cancer aren’t exempt: between 20-30% of patients with early stage breast cancer will go on to develop metastatic breast cancer.
Once a person is diagnosed with breast cancer, they have limited treatment options. Even then, the available treatment options aren’t great. Only 30% of patients with metastatic breast cancer will survive 5 years.
According to Metavivor, 115 Americans die from metastatic breast cancer every day.
Sadly, metastatic breast cancer receives very little attention & research funding. In fact, only 2-5% of all breast cancer research funding supports the research & treatment of metastatic breast cancer, the breast cancer that kills.
If we are truly working towards a world where no woman or man dies from breast cancer, then we must put our money, time, & attention towards the real killer breast cancer.
Dr. Elise K. Cantu, PT
Board Certified Oncologic Clinical Specialist
LANA-Certified Lymphedema Therapist
Sources: Metavivor.org; American Cancer Society; BMC Cancer