Secondary breast cancer in skeleton - no chemo for treatment?

Hi LadyKJ

Thank you for getting in touch, and welcome to the online community. My name is Anne-Marie, and I am one of the Cancer Information Nurse Specialists on the Macmillan Support Line.

I’m sorry to hear that a family member has been diagnosed with secondary breast cancer, it can also be called advanced or metastatic breast cancer. If breast cancer is advanced, unfortunately, this usually means that it can no longer be cured. Treatment is used to slow the growth of the cancer and to reduce symptoms.

You may find our family and friends forum, our supporting someone with incurable cancer forum and our secondary bone cancer forum helpful.

Your family member has been given targeted therapies and hormone (endocrine) therapy. They work to slow or stop the growth of the cancer.

Palbociclib is a type of targeted cancer drug. You usually have this in combination with a hormone therapy drug. It is a type of cancer growth blocker that aims to slow or stop the growth of the cancer. Here is more information on targeted cancer drugs and how they work.

 Fulvestrant is a hormone (endocrine) treatment which is often used with targeted cancer drugs such as Palbociclib. It works in two ways: it blocks oestrogen receptors and can also change the shape of oestrogen receptors in the cancer cells so the oestrogen can’t attach to them. 

Denosumab is a type of targeted drug called a monoclonal antibody; it helps strengthen the bones and prevent fractures.

The treatments offered will also depend on what previous treatment someone has had, how well their general health is, the size of the cancer and where it is in the body.

This is the current guidance from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), although dated 2009, the guidelines were last reviewed in January 2023,  Advanced breast cancer: diagnosis and treatment.

We do not have access to NHS records at Macmillan, so are unable to comment on treatments chosen by the oncology team. If your family member is concerned about the treatment plan being offered, we would encourage them to speak to their clinical nurse specialist (CNS) or consultant.

We have a booklet, Understanding secondary breast cancer, which may be helpful for you and your family member to look at. We would recommend when looking up information online using reputable websites, such as Macmillan, Cancer Research UK, Breast Cancer Now UK, and the NHS website, to ensure accuracy with the information.

I hope this has been helpful, but please don’t hesitate to get back in touch if you need any further information or support.

Sending best wishes

Anne-Marie

Cancer Information Nurse Specialist

You can also speak with the Macmillan Support Line team of experts. Phone free on 0808 808 0000 (7 days a week, 8am-8pm) or send us an email. 

Ref AW/KS