Metastatic breast cancer is the most advanced stage of breast cancer, known as stage IV breast cancer. It occurs when the cancer develops the ability to spread to other organs in the body – most commonly the liver, lung, bone, soft tissues or brain. Even though the cancer involves other organs, it’s still treated as breast cancer.

Letting people know that I see them as more than just their diagnosis helps to build trust. The woman who nominated me is a patient I see every month, and I’ve gotten to know her really well. She has four sons — two in college and one who got married recently — so she certainly has a lot going on!

Cancer treatments such as drug or radiation therapies can cause mouth problems by directly damaging the tissues in your mouth and/or by weakening your immune system, which normally protects your mouth. Here's how you can keep your mouth healthy and happy.

For the past three years, Barb Murak has been an unofficial messenger for Roswell Park patients who are recovering from a blood or marrow transplant (BMT). Pulling a handcart filled with art supplies, from time to time this member of the Creative Arts Team stops by an inpatient room to deliver a surprise. “Knock, knock!” she calls out. “You’ve got mail!”

A voice-activated speaker is proving very popular among patients in a pilot program in Roswell Park's Blood & Marrow Transplantation (BMT) Center.

Whether your inpatient stay is short-term or longer, follow these tips to avoid surprises and make your time with us more comfortable.

From questions about what causes bladder cancer ("Why Is This Happening to Me?") to practical tips for recovering after surgery, a book created by Roswell Park experts covers all the bases for patients and their caregivers.

You may find it tough to discuss some aspects of cancer, both physical and emotional, with someone who has not been through the same struggles. Cancer coaches provide a unique level of empathy and understanding by sharing their own experiences as cancer survivors.

Decades ago, a diagnosis of breast cancer was devastating and almost always meant that a woman would undergo a mastectomy—removal of the entire breast. Today, with regular screening mammograms, breast cancers are often caught in earlier stages, allowing women the choice between a lumpectomy (removal of part of the breast) and a mastectomy.