Metastatic breast cancer

Despite the fact that most women with metastatic breast cancer eventually s uccumb to their disease, chemotherapy, hormonal therapy, radiotherapy, and limited surgery are effective treatment modalities to achieve palliation, i mprove quality-of-life, and significantly prolong life. Appropriate therapy is developed based on the patient's age, disease-free interval, hormone re ceptor status, and extent of disease. Treatment should be tailored specific ally to each patient, taking into account the patient's goals, underlying m edical conditions, and overall performance status-especially endpoints in t herapy and ability to tolerate a particular therapy. Carefully sequenced th erapy often results in prolonged survival, in contrast to that for most sol id tumors.