How many years can you live with advanced breast cancer?

Breast cancer is one of the most common health killers among women, and its mortality rate is also relatively high. If this cancer is not controlled in the early stages, once it deteriorates to the late stage, the time a woman can survive can be said to be very short. For patients with advanced breast cancer, they can live for three to five years at most, and only half a year at least. Next, I will introduce you to some relevant knowledge about late-stage breast cancer!

1. How long can you live with advanced breast cancer?

Generally speaking, breast cancer in the late stage is very easy to spread. Once it spreads, the patient can basically only survive for half a year. If it has not spread yet, the patient can survive for at most 3-5 years, and this is the early stage of late stage breast cancer. How long can you live with breast cancer? If you receive these treatments in the early stages, your survival period is still relatively long. The survival time of patients with advanced breast cancer is significantly higher than before.

2. Symptoms of advanced breast cancer

1. Breast pain

Breast pain occurs in many gynecological diseases, but it is also a common symptom of advanced breast cancer. Whether benign or malignant breast tumors are usually painless. In early breast cancer, pain is occasionally the only symptom, which may be a dull ache or a pulling sensation, especially when lying on the side. Studies have shown that the detection rate of breast cancer will increase in postmenopausal women who experience breast pain accompanied by gland thickening. Of course, when the tumor is accompanied by inflammation, there may be swelling or tenderness. If the advanced tumor invades the nerves or the axillary lymph nodes compress or invade the brachial plexus, there may be shoulder pain;

2. Breast lumps

A breast lump is the first symptom of breast cancer in 95 percent of patients. Most of them are single, but multiple are rare, and their shapes tend to be round, oval or irregular. The texture is generally hard and the boundaries are unclear. Some cases, such as medullary carcinoma, have a softer texture and clearer borders. It often occurs in the upper outer quadrant, the mass increases rapidly, and may be mobile in the early stages;

3. Skin changes

Skin changes are also common among the antemortem symptoms of advanced breast cancer, usually manifested as distended surface veins, dimple signs, and orange peel-like skin. Inflammatory breast cancer patients may have large areas of darkening, hardened, and thickened chest skin, mixed with cancerous plaques and ulcers, forming an armor-like chest wall. Advanced breast cancer may break out superficially, forming ulcers or cauliflower-like neoplasms.

4. Swollen axillary lymph nodes

Axillary lymph node enlargement is uncommon and usually indicates the progression of breast cancer. Metastasis from other malignant tumors in the upper limbs, shoulders, back, and chest must be ruled out. Pathological examination can help confirm the diagnosis.

5. Nipple discharge

Nipple discharge can be divided into two types: pathological and physiological. Physiological nipple discharge is more common in pregnant and lactating women. Pathological nipple discharge refers to the secretion of mammary ducts under non-physiological conditions. The latter is usually referred to. Nipple discharge can be caused by a variety of breast diseases and is easily noticed by patients. It is the main reason for about 10% of patients to seek medical treatment clinically. Among the symptoms of various breast diseases, its incidence is second only to breast lumps and breast pain.

3. Treatment and protection measures for advanced breast cancer:

1. Apply tumor treatment protection preparations as soon as possible to help patients with advanced breast cancer recover as soon as possible.

2. Music therapy + psychotherapy. Psychologically, you should maintain a positive and optimistic mood and believe that you have defeated cancer. Regularly participate in social activities, especially exchanges with cancer patients, and combine "physical training" with "mental training". Participate in physical exercise appropriately.

3. Dietary therapy is indispensable in the late stage of breast cancer, especially regulating the spleen and stomach through diet. The spleen and stomach are the foundation of acquired constitution and the source of qi and blood metabolism. Moreover, the spleen and stomach are often damaged during tumor treatment. A scientific and reasonable dietary combination is very important for the recovery of the spleen and stomach and strengthening the body of patients with advanced breast cancer.

4. In the late stage, conservative treatment is mainly used to improve the body structure, enhance immunity, and control the disease, so as to prolong life as much as possible and improve the quality of life.