breast cancer metastases

Wife started out with stage IV breast cancer. after going through chemo and radiation. the doctor had a ct scan done. found tumor spread to lung shoulder hip and back. 3 weeks later she was having headaches, found that it was also in brain. last week she was having shortness of breath, new ct scan showed marked worsening in lung. it has also now spread to liver.

i have not found anything promising online about her prognosis.

is there any posible good news????

[CCF-RN,MSN-rf]

Dear iamrar:  Widely metastatic breast cancer (cancer that has spread to many areas) is a difficult problem to treat.  In most cases, it is not considered curable and treatment is aimed at slowing the growth and providing symptom relief.  The good news for breast cancer is that there can be many different medications to try - provided your wife is well enough to tolerate them. A variety of treatments including other chemotherapy regimens, radiation, hormonal therapies and new biologic therapies may be of value depending on the individul situation.  In addition, aggressive management of symptoms such as pain and shortness of breath can be very helpful in improving quality of life.