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Executive Summary

Why present another report about breast cancer?
Few would dispute that breast cancer has a higher profile than other types of cancer. Since the
establishment of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month in the mid 1980s, a tremendous
effort has been invested in messaging aimed at screening for early stage breast cancer, while
celebrating those who survive diagnosis and treatment.
40,000 women The dominance of the “breast cancer survivor” identity masks the reality that patients treated
and men still die of for early stage breast cancer can experience metastatic recurrence. The focus on survivorship
breast cancer every
year in the US. obscures the fact that, in spite of decades of breast cancer awareness and research funding,
40,000 women and men still die of breast cancer every year in the United States (US)
[1] with metastasis the cause of virtually all deaths from breast cancer.

Metastatic breast Metastatic breast cancer (MBC), also referred to as stage IV breast cancer, is an incurable,
cancer originates in albeit treatable, progressive cancer that originates in the breast and then spreads to other
the breast and then parts of the body, such as bones, liver, lungs, or brain.
spreads to other
parts of the body, While some progress with research and new treatments has been made in reducing mortality
such as bones, liver, rates from breast cancer, median survival after an MBC diagnosis is 3 years—and this has not
lungs, or brain. increased meaningfully in more than 20 years . Despite these statistics, research funding for
[2]
MBC accounts for only 7% of the total breast cancer research investment.

Currently, data are not collected on how many people experience a recurrence of early stage
While treatable, MBC breast cancer as MBC or the number of people living with the disease. We have only estimates
remains incurable. of how many women diagnosed with early stage breast cancer will experience a recurrence. For
unknown reasons, their breast cancer returns after a few months or as long as up to 20 years
or more after initial diagnosis. It is also estimated that at least 150,000 people of all ages and all
[3]
racial and ethnic groups are living with MBC in the US .
Public messaging about the “cure” and survivorship is so pervasive that people diagnosed
at stage IV with MBC can be stigmatized by the perception that they’ve failed to take care of
themselves or undergo annual screening. With breast cancer organizations’ main focus on
detection and screening of early stage breast cancer, MBC patients and their caregivers face
real challenges in finding MBC-specific support and information from these organizations.
Further, many MBC patients persist in believing a cure is likely, and health care professionals do
not always have the time and skill to discuss treatment options when the prognosis is poor.

A lack of awareness about MBC and how it differs from early stage breast cancer;
little research funding to combat this unique and deadly disease; a lack of accurate
statistics on incidence, prevalence, and survival; and difficulty in finding information
and support services essential for people living with MBC—these are the issues that have
defined the work of the Metastatic Breast Cancer Alliance (MBC Alliance) over the past year.

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