Sorry but you are wrong
stage 4 breast cancer is medically considered to be an incurable terminal life limiting illness. There is no cure at all for stage 4 breast cancer. It will kill you, and usually does so within 10 years and usually a lot sooner. Stage 4 bowel cancer is not the same, its not medically considered to be incurable at diagnosis like stage4 breast cancer is. You can be cured of a stage 4 bowel cancer diagnosis.
No I'm not wrong. Only the minority of patients with stage IV bowel cancer are potentially curable at diagnosis. Most patients do not have the option of surgery for their metastatic tumours and end up having palliative chemo only.
Patients with bowel cancer who are diagnosed with bone metastases are definitely not curable.
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Sorry to hear about your brother CariadI don't know where you're getting your information from but this is from CRUK website
Survival for breast cancer
Survival is generally very good for breast cancer, particularly if you are diagnosed early. This is probably because of screening, early diagnosis and improved treatment. Find out more.www.cancerresearchuk.org
breast cancer survival info
Stage 4
More than 25 out of 100 women (more than 25%) will survive their cancer for 5 years or more after they are diagnosed. The cancer is not curable at this point, but may be controlled with treatment for some years.
and for bowel cancer
Survival for bowel cancer
Survival depends on many factors including the stage of your bowel cancer when you are diagnosed and how it has responded to treatment. The figures for bowel cancer survival can only be used as a general guide.www.cancerresearchuk.org
Stage 4
10 out of 100 people (10%) with stage 4 bowel cancer (also called Dukes' D) will survive their cancer for 5 years or more after they're diagnosed.
If the cancer has spread into the liver and the surgeon can remove it, more than 40 out of 100 people (more than 40%) will survive their cancer for 5 years or more after their operation.
my brother had stage 4 colorectal cancer- I wish he'd been curative ...he only lived for 3 years after his stage 4 metastatic disease