An Ohio State program is helping metastatic breast cancer patients and their families improve quality of life through education about services, techniques and therapies specifically designed for their unique circumstances. Breast cancer is considered metastatic when it has spread to other parts of a patient’s body, beyond the breasts and lymph nodes. Once it spreads, metastatic breast cancer — or stage IV breast cancer — often affects bones and other organs. Because of this spread, doctors treat metastatic breast cancer like a chronic disease, involving the administration of treatment for as long as it can be tolerated by a patient, with a focus not only on the extension of life and cancer control but on quality of life as well. With quality of life in mind, Ohio State experts created the Living Well With Advanced Breast Cancer Clinic at the Stefanie Spielman Comprehensive Breast Center, where patients and caregivers receive education on a wide variety of topics specific to metastatic breast cancer, including the following: Available supportive care services Symptom and pain management Understanding the patient’s role in their cancer journey Self-advocacy Mental health The increased focus on quality of life can lead to better outcomes for metastatic breast cancer patients, according to Ashley Pariser, MD, a member of the clinic team, who also offer telehealth services to those who can’t be physically present. “Patients who have well-controlled symptoms, who have a good quality of life — they are often the patients that do better. They're able to stay on treatment longer, and they're able to thrive,” Pariser says. “So, we want to make sure that we are meeting the needs of all patients with metastatic breast cancer, whether they're at the Spielman Center or not.