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Breast Cancer Bone Metastases

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Metastatic Bone Disease

Abstract

Bone metastases from breast cancer are very common and are the most significant cause of morbidity for breast cancer patients. Bony metastases are likely to cause pain, and may cause hypercalcemia, fracture, or rarely spinal cord compression. Most women present with bony metastases at the time of breast cancer recurrence. There are several distinct immunohistochemical subtypes of breast cancer that behave differently and have different treatment options. Estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer is disproportionately likely to metastasize to the bone, oftentimes being the only site of metastatic disease. Women with estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer are likely to live many years with good quality of life; thus aggressive management of their bony metastases is important. There are many imaging modalities available with bone scan being the best screening modality and CT scan being superior at characterization of a known bony lesion. Since the immunohistochemical profile of breast cancer often changes over time, obtaining repeat staining for estrogen, progesterone, and HER2 receptor status is important. A multimodality treatment approach is best for women with breast cancer metastatic to the bones and should include consideration of bisphosphonates or denosumab, radiation therapy, hormone therapy, and/or chemotherapy and orthopedic surgery.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. George E. Whalen Veterans Administration Hospital, Salt Lake City, UT, USA

    Sarah Colonna MD, BA

  2. Oncology Department, Huntsman Cancer Institute, 2000 Circle of Hope Drive, Salt Lake City, UT, 84112, USA

    Sarah Colonna MD, BA & Theresa L. Werner MD

Authors
  1. Sarah Colonna MD, BA
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  2. Theresa L. Werner MD
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Correspondence to Theresa L. Werner MD .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Huntsman Cancer Institute, The University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA

    R. Lor Randall

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Colonna, S., Werner, T.L. (2016). Breast Cancer Bone Metastases. In: Randall, R. (eds) Metastatic Bone Disease. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-5662-9_4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-5662-9_4

  • Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4614-5661-2

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4614-5662-9

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