Surgery for Bone Metastasis

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If your bone is so weakened by metastasis that it has fractured or is about to fracture, you may need to have surgery. These fractures do not heal in the same way that a healthy bone would.

Surgical options for bone metastasis include:

• Surgically placing a support into the bone: A surgeon can place a rod, pins, screws, plates, or other devices to make your bone (or bones) stable again. This can help relieve pain and restore function.
• Surgery to remove a bone tumor: In rare cases, if you have just a single area of metastasis in one area of a bone, you have no other evidence of breast cancer in the body, and you’re generally in good health, your doctor may consider surgery to remove that single tumor to give you a better chance of having an extended period with no evidence of disease.

Doctors have different opinions on the usefulness of surgery for bone metastasis, so check with your doctor to see what he or she recommends.

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