Can Breast Cancer Metastasis To Uterus

How Breast Cancer Spreads

Breast cancer can spread through the lymphatic system, the bloodstream, or by local invasionfor instance, when cancer cells actually invade nearby tissues, such as the chest wall or ribs.

When breast cancers spread and enter the lymphatic system, they usually first arrive at nearby lymph nodes and may still be early-stage.

Metastatic breast cancer is the same thing as stage 4 breast cancer and is considered the most advanced stage. It refers to breast cancers that have spread beyond the breast and nearby lymph nodes to other regions of the body, which are called distant metastases.

While treatment options for metastatic breast cancer are similar no matter where cancer has spread, some treatments are used for specific sites of metastasis as well .

How Often Does Uterine Cancer Spread To The Breast

Asked byHardyGirl on Wednesday, May 15, 2013

How often does uterine cancer spread to the breast?

I hear about Angelina Jolie having double mastectomy yesterday and now she says she’s going to have Ovaries taken out to “just in case”. Is that overkill? or good advice? I would be the opposite. So how often does it spread to breasts?

Surgery For Endometrial Cancer

Most women with endometrial cancer have some kind of surgery.

A hysterectomy takes out the uterus and cervix. Its the most common way to treat endometrial cancer. There are many ways to do this surgery. Sometimes the ovaries and fallopian tubes are taken out at the same time. Nearby lymph nodes may also be taken out to see if they contain cancer cells.

Ask your doctor what kind of surgery you will need. Each type has pros and cons.

Side effects of surgery

Any type of surgery can have risks and side effects. Ask the doctor what you can expect. If you have problems, let your doctors know. Doctors who treat women with endometrial cancer should be able to help you with any problems that come up.

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Metastatic Endometrial Cancer Survival Rates And Life Expectancy Metastatic Endometrial Cancer Prognosis

While several treatment options are now available to treat patients with metastatic endometrial cancer, the overall prognosis is still poor.

The 5-year survival rate for women with stage IVA metastatic endometrial cancer is 17%

The 5-year survival rate for women with stage IVB metastatic endometrial cancer is 15%

Happy Kumari is a biotechnologist with Masters degree in Biotechnology. She has pursued her Bachelors and Masters degrees from Amity University, Noida. She aspires to contribute in the field of healthcare and research. Happy has worked at Effectual Knowledge Services as a Patent Associate.

Currently she is associated with Maxinov Solutions Private LTD as Research Analyst and a medical content writer at Diseasefix.

Answers From The Community

• carm

  HardyGirl,Actually when I found out she had had the mastectomy and not the TAHBSO I was suprised. If you carry the BRCA gene it means that you are at a high risk for both ovarian and breast cancer and her mother died of ovarian cancer. Working with gyne onc patients I have had a few patients with both so it makes sense to have her ovaries removed. I hope this answers your question. Take care, Carm.

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Thank You For Your Comments

Thank you for your comments. My health is real good except for the cancer. What is UPSC? I have been thinking about a second opinion, but the gyn/oncol I see is suppose to be the best at this, but I am still considering it, but don’t know to see.

I also should have added that they did another Cat Scan Wed just of my chest, to get another look at my lungs and whatever. I was pushing for it, because I used to smoke heavy, but quit 26 years ago.

The seeding that I have is in my peritoneal, in the right upper quadrant of my abdomen, on the outside of my bowel, small intestine, and a couple of other places close by. I think the chemo doctor said with the seeding it is actually more difficult because they are little seeds spread out, and I don’t think radiation would work for this. The 4 treatments is just their starting point, and they also talked about hormone blocking drugs they intend to try on me. On my first cat scan, all my organs were clean. But I was told that tumors have to be a certain size to show up on the cat scan, and I guess that is why the seeding didn’t show.

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Metastatic Breast Cancer Treatment And Planning

After a diagnosis of metastatic breast cancer, its helpful to take all the time you need to gather information and make decisions about your treatment. Learn about the medical specialists that may be involved in your care, treatment options, genetic testing, taking a break from treatment, and more.

SurgeryDoctors sometimes recommend surgery for metastatic breast cancer in order, for example, to prevent broken bones or cancer cell blockages in the liver. Learn more.

ChemotherapyChemotherapy is used in the treatment of metastatic breast cancer to damage or destroy the cancer cells as much as possible. Learn more.

Radiation TherapyYour doctor may suggest radiation therapy if youre having symptoms for reasons such as easing pain and controlling the cancer in a specific area. Learn more.

Hormonal TherapyHormonal therapy medicines are used to help shrink or slow the growth of hormone-receptor-positive metastatic breast cancer. Learn more.

Targeted TherapyTargeted therapies target specific characteristics of cancer cells, such as a protein that allows the cancer cells to grow in a rapid or abnormal way. Learn more.

Local Treatments for Distant Areas of MetastasisLocal treatments are directed specifically to the new locations of the breast cancer such as the bones or liver. These treatments may be recommended if, for example, the metastatic breast cancer is causing pain. Learn more.

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Cancers Linked To Treatment With Tamoxifen

Taking tamoxifen lowers the chance of hormone receptor-positive breast cancer coming back. It also lowers the risk of a second breast cancer. Tamoxifen does, however, increase the risk for uterine cancer . Still, the overall risk of uterine cancer in most women taking tamoxifen is low, and studies have shown that the benefits of this drug in treating breast cancer are greater than the risk of a second cancer.

Metastatic Breast Cancer: An Unusual Cause Of Diplopia

Nasser Mohammed Amer1 Gareth Bashir2 Arikoge Ogedegbe3 Ibtisam Saeed4

1Department of General Surgery, University of Dammam, Al Khobar 40262, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

2Department of General Surgery, King George Hospital, Ilford IG3 8YB, UK.

3Department of General Surgery, King George Hospital, Ilford IG3 8YB, UK.

4Department of Pathology, Queens Hospial, Romford RM7 0AG, UK.

Received: Accepted:

This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 License , which allows others to remix, tweak and build upon the work non-commercially, as long as the author is credited and the new creations are licensed under the identical terms.

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Can I Lower My Risk Of Getting A Second Cancer

There’s no sure way to prevent all cancers, but there are steps you can take to lower your risk and stay as healthy as possible. Getting the recommended early detection tests, as mentioned above, is one way to do this.

Its also important to stay away from tobacco products. Smoking increases the risk of many cancers, including some of the second cancers seen after breast cancer.

To help maintain good health, breast cancer survivors should also:

Looking For More Of An Introduction

If you would like more of an introduction, explore these related items. Please note that these links will take you to other sections on Cancer.Net:

• ASCO AnswersFact Sheet: Read a 1-page fact sheet that offers an introduction to metastatic breast cancer. This free fact sheet is available as a PDF, so it is easy to print.
• ASCO AnswersGuide:Get this free 52-page booklet that helps you better understand breast cancer. The booklet is available as a PDF, so it is easy to print.
• Cancer.Net Patient Education Video: View a short video led by an ASCO expert in metastatic breast cancer that provides basic information and areas of research.

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How Does Breast Cancer Spread

First, the cancer cells break away from tissue in the breast. They travel through your blood and lymphatic system, which is a part of your immune system. They usually appear first in the lymph nodes, small glands that filter fluid, under your arm and near your breast. Sometimes, they move to lymph nodes near the collarbone or breastbone. From there, they continue to move to other areas of your body and form tumors there.

Is There A Link Between Melanoma And Breast Cancer

Having the BRCA2 gene also substantially increases a breast cancer survivors risk of melanoma and having the CDKN2A gene increases a melanoma survivors risk of breast cancer. Because of this crucial link, both breast cancer and melanoma survivors should take extra preventative and early detection measures.

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Update After Doctor Visit

I wanted to update after my second consult with my chemo doctor on Dec 28th. The first consult, was gloom and doom, but after they did more blood test, another cat scan and confered with gyno/onc, their prognosis was at least better. They are confident that my cancer is mastastic endometrial cancer of the adenocarcinoma type. If you recall I had grade 1, stage 1a endometrial cancer and had a total hysterectomy with only slim chance of any recurrence. I don’t know how, but in some way it spread to my omentum and abdominal lining in less than a year. They removed my omentum and scraped all the seeds out of my abdominal lining. My latest cat scan shows no organ tumors, and the blood tests for stomach, lungs, and breast were normal. They are going to go forward with carboplatin/toxol for chemo and then after treatments and more ca-125 tests, hoping all goes well, they will put me on megace a hormone blocker. My cancer was positive for hormone receptors, so the hormone should definitely help. They said they think they can maintain me for a good while this way. Well I hope so, because I am not ready to go.

Most Common Places It Spreads

It’s still breast cancer, even if it’s in another organ. For example, if breast cancer spreads to your lungs, that doesn’t mean you have lung cancer. Although it can spread to any part of your body, there are certain places it’s most likely to go to, including the lymph nodes, bones, liver, lungs, and brain.

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Pathology Report : Snyderpm

I have not been on the site much but would pick up my path slides and send them out to get a second look see. You can mail them to a specific gyne onc pathologist like Dr.Robert Kurman at Johns Hopkins to get a second pathology opinion. Not sure where you are located and may have missed a post but also PET/CT fusion overlay which is standard in other cancer treatments. I just think that endometrial cancer is sort of downplayed which is just aggravating. Women think we are safe with pap smears every year. There needs to be more awareness. My thoughts and prayers are with you. My internist says more uterine/endometrial cancers are showing up as fewer Hysterectomies are done. How many pelvic lymph nodes were taken and did he biopsy paraaortics during your davince robot? bonniesue

Case Seriesbreast Metastases: A Rare Manifestation Of Advanced Uterine Serous Carcinoma

Metastasis to the breast is a rare, accounting for < 1.0% of all breast tumors.

Over 50% of patient with USC will recur despite multimodality treatment.

The majority of USC recur locally within the pelvis or abdominal cavity.

Hematogenous metastasis to the breast has not been reported in USC.

A new breast mass in a patient with USC is more likely to primary breast cancer.

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Where Can Breast Cancer Go

Breast cancer mostly spreads to the bones, lungs, liver, and brain. When it does, you may start to notice symptoms that affect that area of your body.

Bones: swelling, intense pain, bones that break easily, and pain in your bones, back, neck, or joints

Lungs: long-lasting cough, trouble breathing, chest pain

Liver: Jaundice, or skin with a yellow tint, rashes and itchy skin, not feeling hungry, stomach pain

Brain: headaches that wonât go away, problems with your vision, seizures, vomiting and nausea, memory troubles, feeling dizzy

Other, less common, places where breast cancer spreads include:

• Ovaries
• Adrenal glands
• Pancreas
• Skin

Let your doctor know as soon as you can if you have any of these symptoms. They donât always mean your cancer has moved to another organ, but your doctor might want you to take some tests to make sure.

Palliative Hysterectomy For Vaginal Bleeding From Breast Cancer Metastatic To The Uterus

Amnon A Berger1, Cathleen E Matrai2, Tessa Cigler2 and Melissa K Frey2

1Hadassah-Hebrew University School of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Ein Kerem, PO Box 12271, Jerusalem, 9112102, Israel

2Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY 10065, USA

Correspondence to: Amnon A Berger. Email:

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What Will Happen After Treatment

Youll be glad when treatment is over. But for years after treatment ends, you will see your cancer doctor. Be sure to go to all of these follow-up visits.

How often you need to be seen depends mostly on what stage your cancer was. Women with lower-stage cancers might be seen less often, while those with higher-stage cancers have visits that are closer together.

During each follow-up visit, the doctor will examine you . The doctor will also ask about any symptoms that might point to the cancer coming back or to side effects of treatment. Its very important to tell your doctor exactly how you are feeling. Over time youll see the doctor less often.

Having cancer and dealing with treatment can be hard, but it can also be a time to look at your life in new ways. You might be thinking about how to improve your health. Call us at 1-800-227-2345 or talk to your cancer care team to find out what you can do to feel better.

You cant change the fact that you have cancer. What you can change is how you live the rest of your life making healthy choices and feeling as good as you can.

Encouraging Statistics On Prognosis Of Metastatic Breast Cancer

In recent years, there have been some encouraging new statistics on the prognosis of metastatic breast cancer, these include:

• The statistics on survival rates show that women with breast cancer live longer today than ever before.
• In the past decade, the survival rate has substantially increased, due to an improvement in early diagnosis and screening, as well as improved targeted treatment.
• Survival rates are higher for women in higher economic groups
• The stage of cancer at the time of diagnosis plays an impactful role in prognosis, the highest survival rate begins for those who are five years post-treatment.

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How Serious Is My Endometrial Cancer

If you have endometrial cancer, the doctor will want to find out how far it has spread. This is called staging. You may have heard other people say that their cancer was stage 1 or stage 2. Your doctor will want to find out the stage of your cancer to help decide what type of treatment is best for you.

The stage describes the growth or spread of the cancer through the endometrium and the uterus. It also tells if the cancer has spread to other parts of your body that are close by or farther away.

Your cancer can be stage 1, 2, 3, or 4. The lower the number, the less the cancer has spread. A higher number, like stage 4, means a more serious cancer that has spread beyond the endometrium. Be sure to ask the doctor about the cancer stage and what it means for you.

Metastasis Of Breast Cancer To An Endometrial Polyp The Cervix And A Leiomyoma: A Case Report And Review Of The Literature

This article is mentioned in:

Abstract

Introduction

The female genital tract is rarely involved bymetastatic tumors. The most common anatomic locations formetastases to the female genital tract are the ovaries and thevagina. Among extragenital cancers metastasizing to the femalegenital tract, breast is the most common primary site, followed bythe gastrointestinal tract, lung, kidney, and skin .Metastases to the uterus from extragenital cancer are less common, but up to 8% of breastcarcinomas will metastasize to that organ . Lobular carcinoma is the most common typeof breast carcinoma that metastasizes to the uterus . When an extragenital tumor metastasizesto the uterus, it is predominantly located in the myometrium in aminority of cases, the metastasis is confined to the endometrium.In this article, we present a case of concurrent metastatic breastcarcinoma to an endometrial polyp, a uterine leiomyoma, and theuterine cervix. This is the first reported case with thiscombination. We also review the literature.

Case report

Discussion

Table I.

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