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Recurrent Metastatic Breast Cancer

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Recurrent Metastatic Breast Cancer

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Recurrent breast cancer is cancer that's returned to the same or opposite breast or chest wall after a period of time when it was undetected.

Metastatic breast cancer is breast cancer that has spread to other parts of your body. Cancer cells break off the original tumor in your breast and spread to other parts of the body by traveling through your bloodstream or lymphatic system. The new tumor is made up of cells from the breast cancer. So, even if the breast cancer spreads to a bone, it's made up of the breast cancer cells, not bone cells.

Both recurrent and metastatic are considered advanced-stage cancer; metastatic breast cancer is also known as stage IV. There are new options for recurrent or metastatic breast cancer treatment that may not have been available during the initial cancer.

Why Choose Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center?

One of only 71 NCI-designated cancer centers in the United States. Sylvester is one of only two cancer centers in Florida that have been recognized by the National Cancer Institute. The team earned this distinction through its outstanding work conducting research in its laboratories, treating patients in its clinics and hospitals, and reaching out to medically underserved communities with innovative prevention strategies.

Renowned Braman Family Breast Cancer Institute at Sylvester. We offer treatments customized to your individual needs at one of the nation's best breast cancer diagnosis and care programs.

Breast Imaging Center of Excellence designation by the American College of Radiology. Thanks to imaging excellence, you receive a more precise diagnosis, which then guides a more effective treatment plan.

Questions? We're here to help.

Our appointment specialists are ready to help you find what you need. Contact us today.

Call 1-844-324-HOPE (4673) Request an Appointment

Treatments

 

After determining the extent and location of your cancer, your oncology team will discuss options with you for surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy and other leading-edge options available in clinical trials. Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center has the most breast cancer clinical trials in South Florida.

Tests

  • Mammograms 

    Mammograms are the fastest, most accurate way of detecting an abnormal growth in your breast. With tomosynthesis, or 3-D mammography, radiology technologists can get breast images from multiple angles, enhancing the accuracy of a reading and reducing the potential need for repeat scans.

  • Breast Ultrasound and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)

    Your doctor may request a noninvasive imaging exam, such as breast ultrasound or breast MRI, if you have dense breasts and you’re at a higher risk of breast cancer — especially for those with a 20 percent or higher lifetime risk for breast cancer.

  • Ductoscopy

    More than 80 percent of breast cancer growths arise in milk ducts. If your symptoms include a watery, blood-tinged discharge from the nipple, your surgeon will use ductoscopy to find the lesion to sample or remove it. It uses a fiber-optic scope less than a millimeter thick inserted into the milk duct at the nipple to send images to a computer monitor.

  • Biopsies

    A biopsy is a small sample of the suspicious breast tissue that’s removed and tested. Biopsies can be performed in several ways, depending on the circumstances: fine needle aspiration (minimally invasive biopsy), image-guided core needle biopsy, cyst aspiration, ductoscopy (milk ducts), and surgical biopsy (excisional or incisional biopsy). Once a small sample of breast tissue is removed, your doctor may do multigene or hormone tests to learn more about your specific cancer.

  • Estrogen and Progesterone Receptor Test

    This test looks for estrogen and progesterone (hormone) receptors in your cancer tissue. If your breast cancer cells have estrogen and progesterone receptors, the cancer may grow more quickly. The test tells your doctor whether treatment to block estrogen and progesterone will be effective.

  • Human Epidermal Growth Factor Type 2 (HER2/Neu) Receptor Test

    This test measures how many HER2/neu breast cancer genes there are and how much HER2/neu protein is made in a sample of breast tissue. If there are more HER2/neu genes or higher levels of HER2/neu protein than normal, the cancer may grow or spread more quickly.

  • Multigene Tests

    Because no tumor has a single mutation, genomic profiling allows the pathologist (cellular expert) to identify groups of mutations in your tumor tissue sample. We then can create a tumor profile for you. That profile helps us determine what type of treatment would be the most effective, and how long you should have treatment.

     

Accepted Insurances

Note: Health plans that are currently contracted with UHealth are listed below. However, please check with your insurance provider to verify that UHealth is part of your provider network.

Accepted Insurance