WHAT IS STAGE IV?
What is Stage IV Metastatic Breast Cancer?
Stage IV breast cancer — also called metastatic breast cancer (MBC) — means the cancer has spread beyond the breast and nearby lymph nodes to other parts of the body, most commonly the bones, liver, lungs, or brain.
While early-stage breast cancer can often be treated successfully, there is currently no cure for Stage IV. Treatment focuses on extending life and improving quality of life.
Key facts:
• 30% of people diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer will eventually develop metastatic disease.
• Stage IV breast cancer is responsible for 100% of breast cancer deaths.
• Less than 5–10% of breast cancer research funding is allocated specifically for metastatic disease.
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Awareness is not enough. We need more research, more funding, and more support to give those living with MBC more time.
AboutMe
My name is Tamara Padron
Stage IV metastatic breast cancer is part of my story. It’s not the path I would have chosen, but it’s the one I walk every day. Living with this disease means making hard choices, learning to carry uncertainty, and finding joy in the small wins that come with another day, another month, another year.
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Metastatic Matters grew out of that journey — not just to share my own experience, but to stand alongside everyone living with this disease and to honor those for whom this fight came too late. Too many lives have been lost to Stage IV, and too many stories have ended far sooner than they should have. Their voices are with me in this work, and they deserve to be remembered every step of the way.
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At its heart, Metastatic Matters is about creating awareness, connection, and hope. It’s about changing the way people think about breast cancer, so that we recognize the reality of Stage IV and the urgency for more research and support. It’s about bringing people together through events, conversations, and community — because even when a cure feels far away, hope and purpose are things we can create right now.
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This is bigger than one person. It’s a movement built on love, loss, and resilience. And it’s my way of making sure that no one living with metastatic breast cancer, and no one we’ve lost to it, is ever forgotten.
Hope isn’t about ignoring the hard things. It’s about creating purpose in the middle of them.
