Bad news regarding my NT sister

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Earlier this year my 46-year-old sister (she's not an Aspie, but she's very sympathetic to us) was diagnosed with stage 2 breast cancer. She immediately underwent treatment and the doctors were astonished at how quickly the tumor vanished. She completed her chemo earlier this summer and had just started going back to work.

Yesterday, the doctors found that the cancer has metastasized in her liver. They're talking about having her undergo drug trials, possibly out of state. I checked the relevant data online today (very hastily, I'll admit) and the odds are not reassuring.

Any good thoughts or words of support, I'd appreciate right now.

I send my support, and positive thoughts.

Always keep an attitude of hope, because truly, amazing things are happening in medicine every day.

With a prognosis like you are talking about, I'd want my doctors to consider "personalized medicine" or whatever they call it, where depending on your genes, they choose one treatment or another.

You should research "Cancer Treatment Centers of America." See what happens.

I wish your sister much strength and luck in these tough times.

I'm very sorry to hear about your sister. Depending on the specific type of receptors the breast cancer has, people can live many years with stage IV breast cancer, particularly if it has not spread to the brain. An emerging field of treatment is immunotherapy in which T cells that are programmed to attack the cancer are harvested from the patient, multiplied, and re-injected in to the patient. This therapy has been successful in driving the cancer of one woman with stage IV breast cancer who had significant metastasis into remission but is not yet widely available because the success rates are still low....she was an exception but a promising one. However given the extent to which the lives of some with stage IV breast cancer can be extended, I believe that some individuals today with stage IV cancer will live long enough to be recipients of the therapy when it is optimized and made clinically available and will go into remission as a result.

Therapy Made From Patient's Immune System Shows Promise For Advanced Breast Cancer

My personal opinion is to not grieve until you absolutely know. Spend all the time you can with her, and reassure her as best as possible. Don't let the upset overcome you until the time comes, and don't just assume that it will. Above all else, just try to remain strong.