Stage 4 breast cancer life expectancy

[Legoandloldolls]

I know that no one can say for sure. My neice has stage 4 that's spread to another organ and bone. She lives abroad and we was booked to go over in the winter. I know it's incurable but praying by some miracle there could be remission or years left. The bone news is new. It was diagnosed at stage 4. Can't really fly over this month as treatment only started two weeks ago. I want to bring our flight forward maybe to May but everyone is being extremely positive ( understandably) thats not nessary. How bad is this news? Spread into bone? I want to feel positive but I'm full of dread honestly waiting ten months to visit. However respecting family choices is of course my top priority.

Varies hugely but can be many years

Thank you, I did think the outlook has greatly improved of late. She seems to be coping really well with the treatment so far, so hopefully lots to feel positive about.

Basically there are multiple lines of treatment she can have before she is anywhere near the end. Someone dashing over to see her may well be the last thing she wants.

A colleague of mine has breast with bone mets, is back at work full time and you'd never know.

Thank you, no I wouldn't go over without her approval. Family is still saying stick to winter plans as its all ( kind of) planned out and dn needs to settle into treatment. I just woke up from a horrible nightmare and the panic has set in. I did Google ( I know) that stage 4 has a 33% of survival at 5 years. I know rationally there's still a good chance of remission but my mind is running away at night. Thank you.

I'm sorry to hear your news. It can be such a shock.

I also have had some experience of a niece, with a different cancer, aggressive diagnosed at Stage 4 and think she was alive around 18 months.

I am sorry to hear about your niece.

I wonder whether anyone knows the outlook for someone in this situation who chooses to refuse all forms of conventional treatment?

I have met several women who had no or minimal conventional treatment.

It still takes a good time, often 1-2 years or more to go from bone mets to organ mets.

@AnnaMagnani thank you.

Sorry to read about your niece. I believe that some women with bone mets can survive for 5+ years, but it depends on how the cancer progresses. If the cancer has already spread to an organ, the prognosis might not be as good.

That said, we’re living in a time of rapid progress in cancer research, so new treatments are appearing regularly.

My nan had incurable cancer for 12 years, old age killed her before the cancer did.

A relative of mine had bone mets for six years before she passed away. I think it's very variable.

So sorry to hear about your niece and I wish her all the very best.

In my family case scenario it was 6 months from stage 4 diagnosis to passing. Some treatment taken ie radiotherapy, but chemotherapy taken once then refused - it was too much.

This is hugely individual, people defy standard medical expectations all the time. There's also differences in stage 4 as to how far and how much it has spread based on when it was identified, so this is an enormous variable. Medically treatment has also advanced and outcomes vastly improved.