Breast Cancer, Metastatic or Recurrent
When To Call a Doctor
You will have regularly scheduled follow-up visits with your doctor after you are treated for breast cancer. Some women with metastatic or recurrent breast cancer do not have any symptoms. This cancer is discovered on an X-ray or through other tests before symptoms appear.
When symptoms occur, they depend on the part of the body affected by the breast cancer. Call your family doctor, medical oncologist, radiation oncologist, or surgeon if you have any symptoms that last for more than 1 to 2 weeks, including:
- A lump or sore in your breast or on your chest wall.
- Swelling in the armpit or neck.
- Swelling of the arm.
- Bone pain, especially in the back or hips.
- Shortness of breath or a cough.
- Loss of appetite.
- Extreme tiredness.
- Nausea or vomiting.
- Recurrent headaches.
Watchful Waiting
There is no watchful waiting for metastatic breast cancer. A focus on symptom control may be considered if your breast cancer is so advanced that available treatment is not likely to improve your quality of life or survival time. You may receive treatment to control other symptoms, such as pain. Discuss your situation with your doctor to determine whether a focus on symptom control may be right for you.
Who To See
If you have received treatment for breast cancer and are having new problems, your family doctor or general practitioner may refer you to a specialist, such as a:
To prepare for your appointment, see the topic Making the Most of Your Appointment
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| Author: | Kathe Gallagher, MSW Ralph Poore | Last Updated: October 19, 2007 |
| Medical Review: | Joy Melnikow, MD, MPH - Family Medicine Donald Sproule, MD, CM, CCFP, FCFP - Family Medicine Douglas A. Stewart, MD - Medical Oncology | |
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