Special Considerations for MBC

Monitoring Your Metastatic Cancer

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Living with metastatic breast cancer means staying aware of how your disease is responding to treatment. You and your care team will monitor together for any new growth or spread—called progression—using a combination of exams, scans, and laboratory tests. Because there’s no single test that can determine progression, your oncologist will use several tools to get the full picture.

Doctor operates MRI machine while patient lies inside during a medical scan procedure.

Monitoring May Include:

Physical Exams

Your team will regularly examine your overall health, check for new or worsening symptoms, and review anything you’ve noticed in your body. These visits are an important part of staying ahead of changes, so be sure to follow up routinely and share any concerns.

Imaging and Scans

Several times a year—or sooner if you have ongoing symptoms—you may undergo imaging to look for changes in your cancer. The type of scan depends on where the cancer or symptom is located. Common imaging tests include:

CT (CAT) scans
Bone scans
MRI scans
PET or PET-CT scans

Brain imaging is only ordered if you have symptoms such as headache, vision changes, weakness, dizziness, hearing changes, vomiting, or if you have a history of brain metastasis.

Gloved hands holding a tray with blood samples in test tubes, indicating a medical or laboratory setting.

Blood Tests

Routine blood work helps your team assess:

Liver and kidney function
Blood counts, including red blood cells (oxygen), white blood cells (infection defense), and platelets (clotting)
Tumor markers may be ordered, such as CA27-29, CA125, and CEA

Tumor markers may help guide decisions—especially if a treatment seems less effective—but they are not definitive on their own and are always interpreted alongside your full exam.

Biopsy

A biopsy may be recommended when:

There is uncertainty about an abnormal scan
A change in treatment is being considered
You are participating in a clinical trial
Your team needs to recheck estrogen or HER2 receptors

A biopsy confirms whether MBC has spread to a new area and helps guide the next steps. Your physician may consider a liquid biopsy to analyze if there are any new mutations present that can guide new therapy options. A liquid biopsy is a non-invasive blood test that analyzes substances release into the bloodstream by cancer cells.

Staying in Communication

Ongoing communication with your cancer care team is one of the most important parts of monitoring your disease. Let them know about any new symptoms, persistent changes, or worries you have—no concern is too small to bring forward. They are there to help you interpret what you’re experiencing and to support you through every stage of treatment.

Common Signs and Symptoms of Progression

Because metastatic breast cancer can change over time, certain symptoms may signal progression. If anything on this list shows up for you, let your care team know—they’re there to help you understand what’s happening and guide next steps. Also, keep in mind that these symptoms often have causes that are unrelated to cancer. 