What exactly is metastatic breast cancer?

Distal Spread: Metastasis occurs when a cancer spreads outside of its organ of origin. Therefore metastatic breast cancer is when breast cancer has spread to involve other organs outside of the breast such as the lymph nodes, liver, lung, etc.

Stage 4 Cancer: Metastatic breast cancer is cancer that started in the breast, but has spread into other places like the liver, lung, bones or brain. It is also called stage 4 breast cancer. It is not usually curable, but many women live with metastatic breast cancer for years with ongoing treatment.

Distant disease: Metastatic breast cancer refers to breast cancer cells that have traveled from the breast through the lymphatic system to distant locations in the body.