There are breast cancer symptoms that are not located in the breast. When there are symptoms in other parts of the body, it is due to metastasis, or otherwise known as secondary breast cancer. Many of the symptoms of secondary breast cancer can feel like flu symptoms. Most of the time feeling achy, or having cold symptoms or having nausea and vomiting wouldn’t cause much alarm, because normally one doesn’t think of these symptoms as associated with breast cancer. If you have been feeling under the weather, or you have flu-like symptoms for longer than two weeks, you need to go to your health care professional to be checked.

Women and men who have breast cancer that has metastasized to the bone might have pain in the bones afflicted with cancer cells. The individuals may also have high levels of calcium in the blood which can cause tiredness, nausea, constipation, irritability, and frequent thirst. Breast cancer spreads to the bone through the lymphatic system. Cancer cells migrate to the lymph nodes, and the cells travel from there to the bone and sometimes to other places also. The bone seems to be the most favorite place where cancer cells like to migrate.

The liver is another common place where breast cancer travels. A person with breast cancer that metastasizes to the liver may not have many symptoms. The person may have a poor appetite and unintentional weight loss. The liver may be enlarged, and if the cancer has spread to the bile ducts, there may be a yellowish discoloration of the skin, called jaundice. The individual with metastatic breast cancer that has spread to the liver may feel very tired and worn out all the time.

Breast cancer that has spread to the brain may induce symptoms of headaches, problems with eyesight, problems with speech, nausea, vomiting, problems with balance and walking, cognitive changes, changes in memory, numbness in the extremities, muscle twitching, and seizures. There also may be no significant symptoms for a long time. It is possible that some of the symptoms may be overlooked for a long time, if the symptoms are not significant.

Breast cancer that has spread to the lungs might give symptoms of coughing. The person might cough up blood from the lungs. There could be pain in the chest area or in the back. The person may feel short of breath much of the time. Lung cancer, secondary to breast cancer may cause the individual to feel tired much of the time, and she/he may also have significant weight loss due to a loss of appetite.

By the time that breast cancer spreads to other areas of the body, such as the bone, lungs, liver, and brain the breast cancer has most likely reached Stage III or IV. When breast cancer cells are found in other parts of the body it can be called an adenocarcinoma. Breast cancer can metastasize to the uterus, cervix, and ovaries; however, cancer cells from the breast are more likely to move to other areas of the body. If breast cancer does move to the pelvic region, there could be pelvic pain associated with it. There could also be persistent bleeding associated with uterine cancer secondary to breast cancer.

The symptoms of cancers in other parts of the body that are secondary to breast cancer may vary. The symptoms of metastatic cancer in the lung will resemble lung cancer. However, it is not lung cancer. Metastatic breast cancer in the lung is not made up of cancerous lung cells; metastasized breast cancer in the lung contains cancerous breast cells. It is the same with metastatic breast cancer in the brain, liver, or anywhere else in the body. The metastasized cancer cells in other regions of the body will be breast cells. Yet, the symptoms of breast cancer in the lungs will resemble lung cancer, and breast cancer in the liver will resemble liver cancer and so on. A biopsy of the cells would identify them as cancerous breast cells.

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