Breast cancer stage 4 has different life expectancy expectations. For example, five-year survival rate of breast cancer that spreads to lung is 10.94%. Other factors influencing the life expectancy include age, type of cancer, tumor size, and therapy.
When breast cancer spreads beyond the breasts and surrounding lymph nodes, it is considered to be stage 4. The brain, liver, lungs, and bones are the most often affected areas. If breast cancer spreads to certain body organs, it does not turn into lung or bone cancer. Breast cancer is still present.
This is the most serious and deadliest form of breast cancer and it is classified as stage 4, also known as metastatic breast cancer. Treatment may prolong survival time but cannot be cured.
The American Cancer Society. Treatment of breast cancer staged as IV (metastatic).
Find out how long you’ll survive with metastatic stage of breast cancer, further.
When breast cancer is in stage 4, how long do you live?
Stage 4 breast cancer cannot be cured. Rather, the goal of metastatic cancer treatment is to extend survival time while choosing treatments that have the fewest adverse effects. The reasoning behind this is to ensure the highest and longest quality of life.
Some patients may respond to treatment for years or even decades. Others with a more serious type of the disease will live for less than one year. For women diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer, 5-year survival rate is 29%.
Your life expectancy with stage 4 breast cancer is affected by several factors such as: 2
- age
- related HER2 and hormone receptors on cancer cells.
- Where the cancer has spread
- general health
- and size of the tumor.
People with stage 4 breast cancer are living longer. In the US, the percentage of women diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer is not only increasing. People with the disease, especially younger adults, are surviving longer. 11% of women under 64 who were diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer between 2000 and 2004 survived for ten years or more, according to a study.
Variables Affecting Survival Rates
There are many factors that determine your survival chances with stage 4 breast cancer. Some factors, like age and cancer subtype, are not in your control. However, a healthcare professional can help you manage other factors that can increase your chances of survival, such as treatment.
Age
There are different ways that age may influence survival rates. More aggressive types of breast cancer are more frequent in patients under 40 than in others. Further, in comparison to younger individuals, adults 79 years and older had poorer health outcomes.
In a study, the following age groups had the following five-year survival rates:
- 42.1% of those under 40
- 32.8% of those between 41 and 60
- 61–80 years old: 28.3%
- More than 80 years old: 11.8%
Where
Most commonly, the metastatic breast cancer is caused by the involvement of the brain, liver, lungs, and bones. Where the metastatic cells have spread may determine the survival rate:
Liu X, Zhu Y, Wang R, et al. the survival outcomes and clinicopathological features of patients with stage IV breast cancer who had different metastases. 2019;19(1):1091. BMC Cancer, doi:10.1186/s12885-019-6311-z
- Bone: 39.8%
- 1.51% in the brain
- Liver: 7.34%
- Lungs: 10.94%
Treatment, Tumor Size, and Cancer Subtype
The type of breast cancer you have may determine your life expectancy. There is a type of breast cancer, known as HER2-positive, that makes the cancer cells release very high levels of HER2. This protein stimulates tumor growth. This type occurs in 15% to 20% of breast cancer patients.
The HER2-positive and HER2-negative breast cancers listed below report their five-year survival rates:
- HR+/HER2+: 45.6%
- HR-/HER2+: 39.5%
- HR+/HER2-: 34%
- HR-/HER2-: 12.8%
Survival rates may also be affected by the size of the tumors. A primary tumor smaller than or equal to 4.8 cm survives in 50% of cases. If the primary tumor is greater than 4.8 cm, this survival rate falls to 25%.
Each stage 4 breast cancer diagnosis will be different, so therefore, the treatments will differ too. Stage 4 is the stage that has the metastasis spread to different parts of the body. The treatment, therefore, used is systemic. There are several examples of such systemic treatments which include hormone therapy, chemotherapy, targeted therapy, and immunotherapy; all these work on the entire body.
Treatment kind impacts upon survival, and therefore in the present study three year survival for patients with systemic treatments is 67.9%.
Performance Status
Your capability to function with breast cancer is measured by your performance status (PS). PS has a score between 0 and 100. The higher your PS score is, the better you can take care of yourself. According to some data, PS may influence life expectancy. You may be responding more to therapies when you are able to work independently.
A median survival of the following PS scores is associated with:
- 221 days from 80 to 100
- 115 days from 60 to 70
- 51 days from 40 to 50
- 10–30: 22 days
Managing Stage Four Breast Cancer
It is not easy managing stage 4 breast cancer. You might be subjected to intense fear, denial, and rage. Some people with metastatic breast cancer reported anxiety and hopelessness during research. Having friends and family as part of the support network may help you in obtaining better results.
According to some statistics, palliative care can prolong life. The purpose of palliative care is to improve the quality of life. Palliative care supports psychological and social well-being as well as alleviates symptoms.
Apart from the more conventional options of systemic treatment, usage of newer technology is on the rise. Among the treatments are those that sequence the DNA of cancer cells for more targeted therapies. In addition, clinical studies are intended to provide additional choices and perhaps better results for patients diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer.
