The “M’ of the TNM breast cancer staging system shows the presence or absence of distant metastases Cancer has either spread beyond the breast and local lymph nodes to other areas of the body (M1) or it has not (MO). Tests to assess metastases include a bone scan (to look for bone metastases), a blood test (to test for liver or bone metastases), an X-ray/CT scan (to look for lung, liver, abdominal or pelvis metastases) and a PET scan (to look for metastases throughout the body).
For information on treating metastatic cancer, see the Treatment section.
MX:
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Distant metastases cannot be assessed
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M0:
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No distant metastases
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M1:
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Distant metastases
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Updated 10/26/09
