Let’s talk treatment lines…
“Treatment lines?” you might ask if you aren’t in the MBC world, “What are they?”
Well, here’s the thing, not all metastatic breast cancers are created equal – and not all the variants of MBC are treated in the same way. But the one defining feature of ALL metastatic cancers, breast or not, is that the treatment lines are finite.
You might have 3 lines before you run out of approved options, you might have 6. But 3, 6, even 50, there just are not enough of them. Because the reality is that when you run out of treatment options, you run out of time.
Another hard reality is that cancer treatments take their toll on your body. Not everyone can tolerate every treatment no matter how hard they try to manage the side effects. Cancer drugs can also affect your bloods, so not every treatment listed here will be suitable for every patient. Chat to your healthcare team for more information. This is not comprehensive list of every treatment for MBC.
We have not included radiotherapy, surgery or bisphosphonates eg. denosumab or zolendronic acid (Zometa).
Use the list of treatments and the order given as a guide, rather than the path every patient takes. We have shown the most common treatments used in the NHS, and indicated if Scotland differs from England, Wales and Northern Ireland. If you have private healthcare or are on a trial your treatment might be different.
Watch to see the outline of treatment line options for metastatic breast cancer in the UK. (We know that not everyone feels the need to know their future treatment options, but some do. And we think it’s an important message to share. If, however, you aren’t ready for this info, please don’t read the below).
Internationally Approved but not available on the NHS
