Relevance of Flammer Syndrome Phenotype to Metastatic Breast Cancer: Risks by Pre-metastatic Systemic Hypoxic Environment: International Multi-centre Study

Metastatic disease is the major cause of the death in breast cancer patient (BC) cohorts. Lymph nodes, bones, lung, liver and brain are the most frequently reported sites of the metastatic disease in BC. For example, over 20% of the entire patients’ cohort suffering from aggressive metastases in the liver are individuals with primary tumours diagnosed in the breast. Further, the brain is one of the predominant sites of the metastatic disease recorded for more than 20% of some specific BC subgroups, although in BC-free populations primary brain tumours is a rare disorder. This phenomenon has not been yet adequately explained.