Complications can arise for women with later stage breast cancer. Metastases occurs when the cancer spreads from the original site to other parts of the body and in breast cancer, this can often be the bones.

Combination therapy seen to slow further spread of metastases breast cancer in clinical trial.

The symptoms of bone metastases are often bone pain (which can become more intense at night but ease up with movement), anemia and in some cases, fractures. Doctors can test for bone metastases by high levels of calcium in the blood and use X-rays, MRI scans, and other imaging techniques to confirm the diagnosis.

Treatment for bone metastases usually involves chemotherapy, radiotherapy or surgery and will depend how far the bone metastases has spread and the overall fitness of the woman. Find out more about bone metastases in breast cancer patients here.

Find out about six common side effects of chemotherapy treatment for breast cancer. 

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