Does breast cancer really do this?!?

My mom found a lump, and the doctors told her it was benign. A month later, she went to the doctor and they told her that there were 3 others in addition and that she has Stage 4 breast cancer.

Does it really spread THAT fast, and if so. How long does she have to live. She's known for 2 months now, and hasnt even started treatment. She's so stubborn!

My family is doing everything we can to support her, short of physically committing her to the hospital...where she could always just check herself out, and walk out anyway.

Does Cancer really go from benign to stage 4 that quickly?!

yes it can spread that quickly, my mom's was stage iv almost when she was diagnosed and she had been fine just months before with no lumps or anything

I have never heard of it going that fast. It must be serious if it is... she needs to consider her options, and if she wants to live, start treatment.

This must be tough for you... I am sorry, sweetie. Encourage her to get treatment to remove the cancer.

Yes, it can happen that way. Sorry this is happening to your mom and your family. Spend as much time as you can with her.

I am sorry. It sounds like she has a very aggressive form of cancer. Has she tried to get a second opinion? Please try to stay positive around her. Spend as much time with her as you can. Make sure you tell her everything you always meant to but never had the confidence or time.

case by case. normally, go to see more than 2 doctors to give more idea about your mom. My mom got cancer and passed away. She went to only 1 doctor. The doctor said it just stage one came back later, it was final stage. Go to see at least 3 doctors to get different opinion. My other family went to see the doctor, the doctor said she got cancer, she went to another 2 doctors. they said she didn't have any sign of cancer.

if it grow that fast try to avoid eating food that have a lot of protient.

you are not giving all info needed for a good answer...did they test these other lumps? Do a biopsy? How did they stage this?

Stages of Cancer
Staging of cancer describes the extent of cancerous growth including size of the primary tumour, level of spread to the lymph nodes and status of the metastasis. Staging of cancer is often done to know the prognosis and to decide the treatment. There are different systems of staging, for example the Dukes & Astler Coller staging system, which is used in the colorectal cancer and the Clark鈥檚 level staging system, which is used in the malignant melanoma. The most common and globally accepted staging system is the "TNM" classification that describes: size (or number) of the primary tumour, denoted by the letter "T";involvement of the lymph nodes, denoted by the letter "N"; and status of the metastasis, denoted by the letter "M". The letter "T" is followed by the letter "X" if the primary tumour is not assessed clinically; the letter "0" if there is no evidence of the primary tumour; the letter "IS" if the tumour is in situ; or the number "1", "2", "3" or "4" that denotes size of the tumour. The greater the number, the larger is the size of tumour. Similarly, the letter "N" is followed by the letter "X" if involvement of the lymph nodes is not assessed clinically; the letter "0" if there is no evidence of the lymph node involvement; or the number "1", "2", "3" or "4" that denotes extent of the lymph node involvement. The letter "M" is followed by the letter "X" if metastasis is not assessed clinically; the letter "0" if there is no evidence of metastasis; or the number "1", "2" or "3" that denotes the number of metastasised sites. These numbers are usually translated as Stage I, Stage II, Stage III, etc., for convenience of the patient.

contact cancercenter. org or American Cancer Society

most likely the idiots mis diagnosed it!look up otto warberg,dr satori,cancer is nothing more than a severe mineral difficientcy,that causes the body to become acidic robbing the body of all oxygen,since all cancers are anerobic this is the perfect breeding ground for cancer.the ph level has to be brought up to 7.4 by giving the body all the raw materials it needs to heal itself,and thats dam sure not chemotherapy!try intramax by drucker labs,or ultimate classic by american longevity,good luck,ps the doctors will tell you this is bullshit,this is big business to them.it would not hurt to do it on the side,if she wants.

yes caner can sperad really fast not like 5 years.you should force your mom to go to the doctor and she could be cured.

I SERIOUSLY DOUBT IT. SHE SHOULD GET ALL HER MEDICAL RECORDS AND TAKE THEM TO THE BEST DOCTOR SHE CAN FIND I HAVE PERSONAL EXPERIENCE

Some do. Your mom's cancer metastasized which is a big word for a growth spurt that went through out her whole body.

Living is about quality of life. Being home with her family, for her, makes life worth living. Living and dying in a hospital is awful.

Recently I went to Israel with a group of editors and travel agents. One of the women carried a tank over her shoulder everywhere she went. She was taking chemo the whole trip. She was dying but still traveling for fun and profit.

I don't have the entire story here. How did they test it to say it was benign? Was it removed and tested or did the doctor say it looked benign by the mammo?

If it was removed, what did they say it actually was?

If it was removed and it was benign, it would never turn into stage 4 cancer. In fact 3 other tumors in her breast doesn't mean it's stage 4. Stage 4 is a spread of cancer to either the brain, liver, bones, or lungs. In order to diagnose that, they would have had to do scans, biopsies, tests...sounds like your mom hasn't done too much in that way.
Are you sure she gave you the correct info?

I had 3 tumors and am stage 1.

Stage 4 cancer for the breast is all about controlling the progress so the woman can live a quality life as long as possible. It does have a high mortality rate but there are many women who live another 7-14 years.

cancer can spread quite rapidly.
here is a fact about cancer.
a normal cell divides into 2 normal cells if something happened and the DNA or mRNA, tRNA, or RNA mutates it can cause the cells to 'over charge' and divide to quickly.
the ratio for healthy cells is 2/1 meaning for two cells born one cell dies. with cancer it could mean 100/1 meaning for every one-hundred cells born one cell dies and that will over load and cause tumors that can become cancerous.
because of how fast cancer can spread it can jump from 1 to the fatal stage.
my pastor had prostate cancer his tumor was benign then in a couple of days it jumped to a stage 4.
i am not an expert in the field of breast cancer but each cancer is different some spread fast others slow.

No, it doesn't, not that I ever heard of. This sounds very odd. How did they decide the first lump was benign and how did they decide that she is stage 4?

People can live with stage 4 breast cancer for years, and live well - depending the the extent and location of the metastases.

I found an article for you that talks about the stages of breast cancer. I hope this helps you find the answers that you are looking for.

Breast cancer is very aggressive, it can spread really fast. My mom was diagnosed in July '07. Have they done tests to determine that it is stage 4? They can't really say what stage it is without doing a biopsy. My mom had a double mastectomy in Sept and is going through chemo treatment now. It is helpful for her to talk to either a cancer counselor (if you call the cancer society they can help you find one) or they can pair your mom up with a cancer survivor. It is a very hard thing to deal with. She needs all the information sh can get to help her make a decision. If she decides that she doesn't want any treatments, you'll have to respect her wishes and help her to live her life top the fullest. I forgot to mention, if it is confirmed to be cancer, they are referred to a doctor, who only specializes in cancer. If your mom has not been referred, get a new doctor because they are not giving all the information that you need.