page contents Excerpts from "The Insider's Guide to Metastatic Breast Cancer"
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EXCERPTS FROM "HELPFUL HINTS AND FACTS"

  • Seek a second – or even a third – professional opinion before starting any new treatment.  A second or third opinion can potentially provide a critical difference in treatment direction, outcome, and quality of life.​

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  • Keep copies of all your medical records and test results including blood tests, pathology reports, clinic summaries, scans and radiology reports.  The reports may contain information that your doctor might not have mentioned, and retaining your own copies will also make it easier if you eventually transfer to a different medical network.

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  • If you are experiencing side effects from treatment, consider speaking with your doctor about reducing the drug’s dosage and/or frequency.  Sometimes the FDA-approved dose may be too toxic, and a lower dose may be effective.

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EXCERPTS FROM "CLINICAL TRIALS OVERVIEW"

FINDING A CLINICAL TRIAL:

Patients may request a free professional traditional clinical trial search by calling 1.800.4.CANCER (1.800.422.6237).  A trained National Cancer Institute (NCI) professional will obtain specific criteria and provide a list of potential clinical trials that you may qualify for. 

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Other options include the National Institute of Health at https://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ and the National Cancer Institute at http://www.cancer.gov/clinicaltrials/search  In addition to searching for “Metastatic Breast Cancer,” searches can be done for “Advanced Malignancies” or “Solid Tumors” because sometimes promising and applicable clinical trials can be located using those search terms.

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For patients in Canada, here is a link for Canada-based clinical trials: https://health-products.canada.ca/ctdb-bdec/index-eng.jsp

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For patients in the UK, this is a link for UK-based clinical trials:  http://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/trials/

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For patients in Europe, here’s is a link for EU-based clinical trials:  https://www.clinicaltrialsregister.eu/ctr-search/search

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For patients in Australia and New Zealand, this is a link for Australian-based and New Zealand-based clinical trials:  https://www.australianclinicaltrials.gov.au/anzctr_feed/form

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EXCERPTS FROM "CONDITIONAL SURVIVAL"

Were you aware that the longer a person lives with metastatic breast cancer, the longer he or she is likely to live? This concept, called “Conditional Survival,” is reflected in an analysis of patients in the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database, which provides information about cancer statistics in the US.


Based upon a SEER analysis in 2010, the probabilities of five years of relative survival after a diagnosis of MBC are:

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  • At 0 years (i.e. when first diagnosed with MBC), the probability of five MORE years of relative survival is 25.3%

  •  At 1 year of survival with MBC, the probability of five MORE years of relative survival is 32.4%

  •  At 2 years of survival with MBC, the probability of five MORE years of relative survival is 39.1%

  •  At 3 years of survival with MBC, the probability of five MORE years of relative survival is 45.5%

  • At 4 years of survival with MBC, the probability of five MORE years of relative survival is 52.0%

  • At 5 years of survival with MBC, the probability of five MORE years of relative survival is 56.9%​

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