Is Metaplastic TNC a Metastatic Cancer @ Stage 4

jazz3000

I've had 3 Sister Friends who have all been given a Stage 4 diagnois. Their conditions have progressed at different stages for several years. Surgery - Chemo - Do this - Do that. The question is always, " How do I deal with this?" "I'm stunned", "Numb", and "How do I look at another round of all of this?".  I'm sorry - So sorry- Feel better, just all feels like leaves in the wind to me. I think to myself, " Am I headed there too? I'm glad I haven't heard this yet. How do I support her? Absolutely nothing seems appropriate, as well as feeling guilty for feeling better about my stage, secretly knowing deep down inside TNC invasive isn't curable and I could be Stage 4 @ anytime. 

I know this is a heavy subject but I want to know how to support my Sister Friends and take care of my own feelings about this whole God Awful disease @ the same time. Any thoughts or ideas would help. Thanks before hand. God Bless and keep all of you. Warm fuzzies just doesn't work at Stage 4 does it. Jazz 

CoolBreeze

There is a section of the forum where you might get advice and answers on how to help your friend with Stage IV.

http://community.breastcancer.org/forum/16

 Here is a place to share your struggles on supporting and caring for a person you love, whether just diagnosed, or in end stage. It is never easy, but you are not alone.

The pain this is causing my own family is the hardest part of this disease and if I had a miracle to make it easier on them, I would share it.  How you take care of your own feelings, none of us can tell you.  The people on the caregiver section can relate to you.

MJLToday

I'm sorry for you and your friend's diagnosis.  You can also find more information on metastatic cancer at http://mbcn.org/

Just to clarify, all invasive breast cancer is incurable.  You can have long periods of NED (no evidence of disease) even a lifetime, but until you die of something else, medical science cannot declared your cured.

Metaplastic cancer is different from metastatic cancer which is different from Stage IV.

If you are have cancer in distant organs from the breast (like lung, liver, skin, etc.) at diagnosis, then you are Stage IV.  If you have lower stage disease at diagnosis (I II or III) with a distant recurrence at a later date, then you have a distant metastatic recurrence. Stage IV also falls under the wider umbrella of metastatic disease as a specialized case, since your stage doesn't change from the initial staging at diagnosis.

 Metaplastic cancer refers to the aggressiveness of the cancer, which is high indeed in metaplastic TNBC.