Secondary
Breast Cancer
What is secondary breast cancer?
Secondary breast cancer is cancer which firstly started growing in the breast and has moved or spread to another parts of the body.
You may hear the word metastases or metastatic breast cancer, this is just another name for secondary breast cancer.
The most common places that breast cancer spreads to are the bones, the liver, the lungs or the brain. Secondary breast cancer can also affect the lymph nodes also called lymph glands. The glands most commonly affected are those in the underarm also called the axilla, the neck, or the chest area.
Every patient is considered as an individual and will be fully assessed and their
treatment planned according to which areas of the body where the disease has affected.
The aim of treatment is control of disease and to maintain a good quality of life. There are many treatments available and women can be having treatment for many years, remaining active and well.
Although we refer to women, men can also have secondary breast cancer and have similar treatments.
Symptoms
These vary according to the part of the body affected. For example, if secondary breast cancer is in the bones of the spine, there may be some back pain.
There are some general symptoms which some women may have, these include feeling more tired than normal, general unwell feeling and loss of appetite.
It is important to remember that these general symptoms may be related to simple causes, such as colds or flu or be caused by the side effect of cancer treatments. It is important to discuss any symptoms with your doctor.
Secondary breast cancer in the lymph nodes
If breast cancer cells have spread to the lymph nodes, it may result in a firm painless swelling which could be in the underarm area (axilla) in the neck or the collarbone area.
Breast cancer commonly spreads to the lymph nodes in the underarm, this is not always a sign of secondary breast cancer. This is usually successfully treated by surgery at first diagnosis
Lymphoedema
Lymphoedema is a swelling of the arm which can in some cases be a sign of cancer cells growing and blocking the lymph channels in the armpit. It can be caused by scarring in the area post surgery or radiotherapy, which may interfere with fluid drainage from the tissues in the arm.
It can be uncomfortable and can cause or restriction of movement in the shoulder and arm. Contact your Hospital if you have arm swelling as you need to be assessed and treatment planned.
Treatment is usually a specialist physiotherapist or nurse with special training. It usually involves massage, wear of especially measured compression garments, a reqieme of skin care and exercise and sometimes bandaging. For further information on lymphodema please call our helpline where you can speak to a specialist nurse in confidence on 1800 200 700.
Types of secondary breast cancer
Secondary breast cancer is usually considered according to the part of the body which is affected. The three most common areas are the bone, the liver and the lungs. We have also produced a factsheet for each type which can be obtained by calling 1800 200 700 or downloaded from this site.
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