TUMOR RECURRENCE AND TAMOXIFEN RESISTANCE: WHERE DOES BREAST CANCER SPREAD?
When breast cancer does recur outside the breast, it usually does so in rather specific areas. One of the most common locations is in the bone. Although the bones of the ribs, spine, pelvis, and upper arms and legs are most commonly involved, breast cancer can metastasize to virtually any skeletal area. This process may be heralded by local bone pain or ultimately bone fracture, but painless bone metastases are common as well.The spread of breast cancer to the lymph nodes is also quite prevalent. The lymph nodes adjacent to the breast and under the arm, called “axillary nodes,” are the most frequently affected areas. Breast cancer may also spread to the liver and lungs or throughout the skin and into the brain.IS TUMOR RECURRENCE OUTSIDE THE BREAST TREATABLE?Breast cancer that occurs outside the breast is treatable, but is generally much harder to cure than local recurrence. Physicians try to design treatments that will provide the patient with the best possible chance of curing the disease while avoiding additional risk in terms of life-threatening side effects. Therapy given to control tumor symptoms when there is little hope of cure is called palliative.*37\320\2*
