What are the symptoms of stage 4 breast cancer?

If a person has stage 4 breast cancer, this means that the cancer cells have spread to other organs in their body, such as the lungs, lymph nodes, bones, skin, liver, or brain.

Cancer stages range from 1 to 4 and indicate the extent of the disease. A doctor may also refer to stage 4 as advanced or metastatic breast cancer.

Breast cancer is the second most common cancer in women.

In this article, learn about the symptoms of stage 4 breast cancer, as well as the treatment options.

Symptoms

A person with stage 4 breast cancer may experience some symptoms specific to the breast, as well as others that affect the whole body.

Breast-related symptoms include:

a lump

pitted skin (peau d'orange, or skin that looks like orange peel)

nipple changes, such as flattening, inversion, and dimpling

redness, swelling, and warmth

Other symptoms that may appear throughout the body include:

weakness or numbness

a consistent dry cough

chest pain

loss of appetite

bloating

constant nausea

severe headaches

jaundice

vision problems

seizures and confusion

loss of balance

When breast cancer cells move to other areas of the body, they remain as breast cancer cells. For example, breast cancer that has spread to the lungs is still breast cancer, not lung cancer.

In stage 4 breast cancer, cancer spreads to different parts of the body in a process called metastasis. It may cause different symptoms depending on the affected parts of the body:

Bone metastasis

When breast cancer cells move into bone, this is called bone metastasis. It is more common for breast cancer to spread to the bones than to any other body part.

The primary symptom of bone metastasis is intermittent bone pain. At times, the pain may become persistent.

Other symptoms may include:

Sudden or sharp pain, which may indicate a fracture.

Pain in the back and neck, trouble urinating, and weakness. These symptoms can indicate a compressed spinal cord.

Fatigue, nausea, dehydration, and loss of appetite, which may indicate high levels of calcium in the blood due to bone breaking down.

Lung metastasis

Lung metastasis does not always cause symptoms, but a doctor may discover it during a CT scan, as the cells will typically form a tumor.

If symptoms do occur, they may include:

shortness of breath

wheezing

discomfort or pain in the lungs

a persistent cough

coughing up blood and mucus

Although some of the symptoms may resemble those of a common cold, lung metastasis will require treatment. Therefore, it is vital that anyone with stage 4 breast cancer makes their doctor aware of any new symptoms, even if they do not seem severe.

Brain metastasis

The risk of breast cancer spreading to the brain is generally highest in those with HER2-positive or triple-negative breast cancer, which are more aggressive subtypes of this disease.

About 10–15 percent of women with stage 4 breast cancer will develop brain metastasis.

Symptoms include:

a headache

memory problems

vision problems

seizures

slurred speech

balance problems

dizziness

stroke

If a doctor suspects that the cancer has moved into the brain, they will order an MRI to confirm the diagnosis.

Source: Medical News Today