When most people think of metastatic breast cancer (MBC), they think of imminent death. They may assume that the metastatic breast cancer patient was negligent about checking her breasts or getting screening mammograms. A study compiled in partnership with the National Cancer Institute and the Metastatic Breast Cancer Alliance under the leadership of Musa Mayer and Marc Hurlbert in May 2017 shows that neither of these assumptions is true.
The study shows that of the approximately 150,000 women in the United States who are living with metastatic breast cancer, 75 percent were originally diagnosed at an earlier stage. Women who did everything right to diagnose their cancer at the earliest possible stage often relapse years later.
Collecting data about MBC patients can be difficult because their original staging level stays with them until they die of metastatic breast cancer or another cause. So in official records, that Stage I patient who recurred two years after her original treatment is still Stage I even though she has been living with metastatic breast cancer for the last seven years. This study used new statistical modeling methods developed by Angela Mariotto, Ph.D., of the National Cancer Institute to arrive at the best estimates of the number of MBC patients and their longevity.
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