Living well with metastatic breast cancer
Adjusting to a metastatic breast cancer diagnosis is an ongoing process. It takes time. When things feel uncertain, taking care of yourself physically and emotionally can help to preserve your sense of control and well-being.
- Medical Review: Pallav K. Mehta, MD

After a metastatic breast cancer diagnosis, finding the emotional strength to move forward can be one of the biggest challenges of your life. We want to remind you that you’re never alone on this path. LBBC is here for you with information to help you better understand your diagnosis, your options, and ways to find practical and emotional support.
For many people, an automatic thought after a metastatic breast cancer diagnosis is that life is over. By no means is this true. While life expectancy after a metastatic breast cancer diagnosis is highly individual, research shows that people are now living longer after diagnosis. Some report that they are thriving with metastatic breast cancer, living lives that are active and fulfilling.
Some of the latest data on how long people are living with metastatic breast cancer were published in 2017, and treatments keep improving. “Looking at survival numbers in metastatic breast cancer is kind of like looking up in the night sky at the stars: you’re not really seeing the stars as they are today, but rather what they looked like however many years it took for light to travel to Earth,” says Pallav Mehta, MD, medical oncologist. “Most large-scale cancer registry databases are about 2 years behind. And then if we’re looking at 5-year survival numbers, we’re really looking at patients who were treated at least 7 years ago. Furthermore, if you look at a study from 2017, you’re looking at patients who were treated initially in 2010, which was before many treatment advances.”
Some of these advances include:
- Molecular biomarker testing, sometimes called genomic testing or next-generation sequencing
- CDK 4/6 inhibitors, PIKC3A inhibitors, and mTOR inhibitors for estrogen receptor-positive metastatic breast cancer
- For hormone receptor-positive metastatic breast cancer:
- Better medicines that target specific points in growth signaling pathways, such as AKT inhibitors, CDK 4/6 inhibitors, PIKC3A inhibitors, and mTOR inhibitors
- Improved targeting of estrogen receptors with oral selective estrogen receptor degraders (SERDs) such as elacestrant (Orserdu) and other SERDs in development
- Antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) such as trastuzumab deruxtecan (Enhertu) and sacituzumab govitecan (Trodelvy)
- For triple-negative metastatic breast cancer: Antibody-drug conjugates and immunotherapy
- For BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutation-positive metastatic breast cancer: PARP inhibitors
- For HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer: targeted therapies such as pertuzumab (Perjeta), ado-trastuzumab emtansine (Kadcyla), trastuzumab deruxtecan (Enhertu), and tucatinib (Tukysa)
“The actual survival numbers are even better and continuing to improve,” says Dr. Mehta.
Many issues influence outcomes, including age, the presence of other illnesses, past treatments received, and the ability to carry out day-to-day activities–or what your doctor may call performance status. With so many factors in play, it can be challenging to feel a sense of control.
Remember that living well means different things to different people. Adjusting to a metastatic breast cancer diagnosis is an ongoing process. It takes time. When things feel uncertain, taking care of yourself physically and emotionally can help to preserve your sense of control and well-being.
Part of taking care of yourself is reaching out for support when you need it. Don’t hesitate to share any concerns with your doctor, nurse, or hospital social worker. Other sources of support can include family, friends, counselors, others living with metastatic breast cancer, nutritionists, complementary and integrative medicine practitioners, and spiritual leaders.
In this video, Don Dizon, MD, FACP, FASCO, shares guidance on ways to live well after a diagnosis. Topics include managing fear of progression, body image, parenting, and finances. Listen to an audio version of Dr. Dizon’s talk on living well with metastatic breast cancer.
Physical care
It’s possible to live a healthy life while living with metastatic breast cancer. Taking care of yourself physically includes a healthy diet and regular exercise. Benefits include:
- Improving your quality of sleep
- Strengthening your immune system
- Increasing energy
- Improving your outlook on life
While living a healthy lifestyle does not treat the cancer, it can provide a greater sense of well-being.
There are lots of ways to eat a healthy diet after a diagnosis. Nutritionist Stacy Kennedy, MPH, RD, LDN, CSO, advises people to follow a Mediterranean-style diet. This type of diet features a variety of foods rich in vitamins and nutrients, including:
- Fruits and vegetables
- Whole grains, such as whole wheat, quinoa, and oatmeal
- Legumes, such as peas, beans, lentils, and chickpeas
- Nuts
You can also visit the American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR) for a list of foods with anti-cancer effects.
Understanding what a balanced plate looks like can also be helpful. Gwen Ryan, who lives with metastatic breast cancer, enrolled in a lifestyle program at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute to get more clarity on eating well. “I learned what a healthy plate should look like. One half should be colorful vegetables; the other half was split between a deck of cards worth of protein, healthy grains and carbs, and a little fat,” she says.
Learn more about balancing portions at the AICR website.
Regular exercise is also an important part of physical care. There are many ways to keep exercising after a metastatic breast cancer diagnosis, even if you need to make adjustments sometimes. If you have been diagnosed with bone metastasis, for example, there can be an increased risk of fracture in bones, especially weight-bearing bones. Talk with your healthcare team about an exercise plan that works for you.
Emotional care
We know that a metastatic breast cancer diagnosis can trigger so many different and intense emotions. Shock, fear, anger, numbness, and grief are just some of the things people experience. Whatever you are feeling now will very likely change, and change again, as you move forward.
Some of the most common reactions to a diagnosis are anxiety and depression. Symptoms of anxiety and depression can include:
- Restlessness
- Trouble concentrating
- Fatigue
- Sadness
- Difficulty sleeping
- Loss of interest in favorite activities
Anxiety and depression can also be side effects of some breast cancer treatments, so talk to your healthcare team if you are having these feelings.
Emotionally adjusting to metastatic breast cancer is an ongoing process. Over time, you’ll discover new sources of support and develop new coping strategies. Pay attention to how you’re feeling. If you’re emotionally overwhelmed, let your doctor or hospital social worker know. Ask for a referral to a counselor or therapist, and ask about support groups where you can meet others living with metastatic breast cancer.
You can also connect with others on Living Beyond Breast Cancer’s social media communities:
Take time for yourself when you need it. Sometimes, you just want to rest. Other times, you may find support in practices such as mindfulness-based stress reduction, expressive writing, or other complementary and integrative therapies. These activities can help you:
- Unplug from anxiety
- Notice and take in positive experiences and people in your life
- Develop an inner space of calm
- Manage uncertainty
- Be in the present moment
“While in the hospital, I learned mindfulness. Focusing on, ‘Can you not think about mets for 10 seconds? Can you picture yourself here in this moment?’ and ‘Can you think about what fall leaves smell like?’ Those were things I had cut myself off from in the land of depression. I didn’t want to experience joy at all. Allowing myself to feel those things again was so healing. At first, I thought mindfulness was hokey and absurd. But the power of intention [mindful thought] doesn’t mean I’m going to intend myself out of a terminal cancer diagnosis. It’s making the most of this moment.”— Kelli Davis, diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer in 2014
Managing both your physical and emotional health means you’re not just getting by with metastatic breast cancer. You’re living well.
“While in the hospital, I learned mindfulness. Focusing on, ‘Can you not think about mets for 10 seconds? Can you picture yourself here in this moment?’ and ‘Can you think about what fall leaves smell like?’ Those were things I had cut myself off from in the land of depression. I didn’t want to experience joy at all. Allowing myself to feel those things again was so healing...”
In this video, Pallav K. Mehta, MD, explains the science of living well after a breast cancer diagnosis. Watch as Dr. Mehta shares guidance on nutrition, physical activity, and stress release.
Below you can find more information about living a healthy lifestyle with metastatic breast cancer, including guidance on eating well, exercise, emotional support, sexual intimacy, and fertility. You can also read personal stories from women who’ve been diagnosed.
Related blogs
- Finding purpose with MBC by saying yes to clinical trials
- Living rock solid: Navigating MBC, financial crisis, and housing uncertainty
- Finding strength in faith: Stephani St. Cyr's journey with stage IV breast cancer
- Cancer, my unexpected guru: Thriving with metastatic breast cancer
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- relaxation technique
- remission
- remission induction therapy
- remote brachytherapy
- research nurse
- research study
- resectable
- resected
- resection
- residual disease
- resistant cancer
- resorption
- respite care
- response rate
- retrospective cohort study
- retrospective study
- risk factor
- Rubex
- salpingo-oophorectomy
- salvage therapy
- samarium 153
- sargramostim
- scalpel
- scan
- scanner
- scintigraphy
- scintimammography
- sclerosing adenosis
- screening
- screening mammogram
- second-line therapy
- second-look surgery
- second primary cancer
- secondary cancer
- secrete
- sedative
- segmental mastectomy
- selection bias
- selective estrogen receptor modulator
- selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor
- sentinel lymph node
- sentinel lymph node biopsy
- sentinel lymph node mapping
- sepsis
- sequential AC/Taxol-Trastuzumab regimen
- sequential treatment
- SERM
- sertraline
- Serzone
- sestamibi breast imaging
- sexuality
- sibling
- side effect
- silicone
- simple mastectomy
- simulation
- Single-agent therapy
- sleep disorder
- social service
- social support
- social worker
- sodium thiosulfate
- soft tissue
- solid tumor
- somatic
- somatic mutation
- sorafenib
- specialist
- specificity
- spiculated mass
- spinal anesthesia
- spinal block
- spiral CT scan
- spirituality
- sporadic cancer
- SSRI
- stable disease
- stage
- stage 0 breast carcinoma in situ
- stage 0 disease
- stage I breast cancer
- stage IA breast cancer
- stage IB breast cancer
- stage II breast cancer
- stage II breast cancer
- stage IIA breast cancer
- stage IIB breast cancer
- stage III breast cancer
- stage III lymphedema
- stage IIIA breast cancer
- stage IIIB breast cancer
- stage IIIC breast cancer
- stage IV breast cancer
- staging
- stamina
- standard of care
- standard therapy
- statistically significant
- stent
- stereotactic biopsy
- stereotactic radiosurgery
- sterile
- sternum
- steroid
- stress
- strontium
- study agent
- subcutaneous
- subcutaneous port
- subjective improvement
- subset analysis
- supplemental nutrition
- supplementation
- support group
- supportive care
- supraclavicular lymph node
- surgeon
- surgery
- surgical biopsy
- surgical menopause
- surgical oncologist
- survival rate
- symptom
- symptom management
- symptomatic
- synergistic
- synthetic
- syringe
- systemic
- systemic chemotherapy
- systemic disease
- systemic therapy
- TAC regimen
- tai chi
- tailored intervention
- talk therapy
- tamoxifen
- targeted therapy
- taxane
- Taxol
- Taxotere
- Tc 99m sulfur colloid
- technician
- terminal disease
- therapeutic
- therapeutic touch
- therapy
- thermography
- thiethylperazine
- thiotepa
- third-line therapy
- thrush
- time to progression
- tinnitus
- tissue
- tissue flap reconstruction
- TNM staging system
- tomography
- tomotherapy
- topical
- topical chemotherapy
- topoisomerase inhibitor
- total estrogen blockade
- total mastectomy
- total nodal irradiation
- total parenteral nutrition
- toxic
- toxicity
- tracer
- traditional acupuncture
- tranquilizer
- transdermal
- transfusion
- transitional care
- translational research
- trastuzumab
- trauma
- treatment field
- trigger
- trigger point acupuncture
- triple-negative breast cancer
- tumescent mastectomy
- tumor
- tumor antigen vaccine
- tumor board review
- tumor burden
- tumor debulking
- tumor load
- tumor marker
- tumor volume
- Tykerb
- ulcer
- ulceration
- ultrasound-guided biopsy
- ultrasound/ultrasonography
- ultraviolet radiation therapy
- uncontrolled study
- undifferentiated
- unilateral
- unilateral salpingo-oophorectomy
- unresectable
- unresected
- upstaging
- urticaria
- VACB
- vaccine therapy
- vacuum-assisted biopsy or vacuum-assisted core biopsy
- Valium
- vancomycin
- vandetanib
- vascular endothelial growth factor-antisense oligonucleotide
- vascular endothelial growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor
- vein
- Velban
- venipuncture
- venous sampling
- Versed
- vertebroplasty
- vinorelbine
- vital
- vomit
- watchful waiting
- wedge resection
- Wellcovorin
- Western medicine
- WGA study
- white blood cell
- whole cell vaccine
- whole genome association study
- wide local excision
- wire localization
- wound
- X-ray therapy
- Xanax
- Xeloda
- xerostomia
- Xgeva
- yoga
- ziconotide
- Zinecard
- Zofran
- zoledronic acid
- Zoloft
- Zometa

Living Beyond Breast Cancer is a national nonprofit organization that seeks to create a world that understands there is more than one way to have breast cancer. To fulfill its mission of providing trusted information and a community of support to those impacted by the disease, Living Beyond Breast Cancer offers on-demand emotional, practical, and evidence-based content. For over 30 years, the organization has remained committed to creating a culture of acceptance — where sharing the diversity of the lived experience of breast cancer fosters self-advocacy and hope. For more information, learn more about our programs and services.