The Glimmer of Hope Metastatic Breast Cancer Clinic at Allegheny General Hospital (AGH) is part of the AHN Cancer Institute Breast Cancer Center of Excellence. This program specializes in the comprehensive treatment of women and men with metastatic, stage 4 breast cancer. This is categorized as breast cancer which has spread from your breast to other parts of your body, like your bones, lungs, brain, or liver. At our clinic, you have access to multiple specialists who focus on the treatment of metastatic breast cancer and management of symptoms associated with stage 4 breast cancer and treatment side effects.
Being diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer can lead to a range of emotions, including anxiety and depression. You’re not alone in this. We’re here to help you navigate the physical, emotional, and mental challenges ahead. With highly successful treatments and researchers continually developing new ones, we’re here to help you live your life to the fullest.
Breast cancer is the second-most common cancer affecting women in the United States. Approximately 30% of early-stage breast cancer patients eventually develop metastatic breast cancer, also referred to as stage 4 breast cancer.* While there’s currently no cure for metastatic breast cancer, you can live a fuller life when you have a team of experts on your side.
Our team of specialists work together to create a personalized treatment plan for your specific case. We also prescreen you regularly for available clinical trials so that you may have the option to enroll if you qualify.
Our goals at the Glimmer of Hope Metastatic Breast Cancer Clinic are to:
In October 2020, the Glimmer of Hope Foundation funded and opened the Glimmer of Hope Metastatic Breast Cancer Clinic at AGH with the support of their generous donors. Their mission is to help support and treat women with stage 4 breast cancer in an innovative and comprehensive way.
“There are patients around us who are living full lives with metastatic breast cancer. We aim to help them live their lives as normally as possible. We have designed the clinic to help patients living with metastatic breast cancer make their cancer a smaller part of their very big lives.”
Christie Hilton, DO — Director of the Academic Breast Oncology and the Glimmer of Hope Metastatic Breast Cancer Clinic at AGH.
The Glimmer of Hope Metastatic Breast Cancer Clinic brings a team of highly qualified specialists together to create a customized treatment plan for you. Your care journey may include a combination of treatments, depending on your individual needs.
Treatment for stage 4 breast cancer can often shrink tumors, slow their growth, improve quality of life, and may help you live longer. Your doctor may recommend:
Specialists at the Glimmer of Hope Metastatic Breast Cancer Clinic are highly experienced in treating patients with stage 4 breast cancer. We created the clinic so you can get what you need in one place at one time. You can see multiple specialists and receive treatment, nutrition counseling, and physical therapy, along with appointments for massage and acupuncture.
Our goal is to make your treatment easier and more convenient by coordinating your physician, radiology, and other appointments into one visit. This helps us:
Your nurse navigator will go to your appointments with you, answer your questions, and keep track of what you need now and what comes up next.
Ongoing clinical trials for metastatic breast cancer are an important aspect of the Glimmer of Hope Metastatic Breast Cancer Clinic. Participating in a clinical trial is a choice that you may want to consider, as some clinical trials have the potential to extend and improve your quality of life. Your participation can also provide valuable information to help other patients like you. The Glimmer of Hope Metastatic Breast Cancer Clinic aims to help you understand your options for treatment, including considering clinical trial participation at all points along your journey with metastatic breast cancer.
You may want to use integrative medicine along with your medical care to help overcome the challenges of living with metastatic breast cancer. This involves therapies that can help relieve your pain, strengthen your body, and be at peace with your condition. An integrative specialist may recommend:
You’ll have highly specialized metastatic breast cancer specialists to provide you personalized treatment options. We have an entire team here for you to schedule appointments, help you choose a path forward, cope with your feelings about your future, and manage the reactions of family and friends. You’ll receive highly personal and compassionate care from your team every step of the way. Your metastatic breast cancer clinic staff can help meet all your needs, so you don’t have to worry about the details of your treatment. In addition to doctors, our breast cancer team includes social workers, nutritionists, psychologists, psychiatrists, physical therapists, sexual health counselors, integrative therapists, and spiritual support people.
Director of Academic Breast Oncology and Glimmer of Hope Metastatic Breast Cancer Cl...
Radiation Oncology
Radiation Oncology
Radiation Oncology
Surgical Oncology
Neurological Surgery
Surgical Oncology
Pulmonology
Urogynecology
The Glimmer of Hope Metastatic Breast Cancer Clinic has an advisory board that works to help improve patient experiences.
If you need to make an appointment to discuss stage 4 metastatic breast cancer symptoms, testing, or treatment, we’re here to help.
Call (412) 578-HOPE (412) 578-4673 to schedule an appointment at the Allegheny Health Network Cancer Institute or request a call to be contacted by a Nurse Navigator.
The Glimmer of Hope Metastatic Breast Cancer Clinic actively monitors ongoing clinical trials and screens patients throughout their treatment to help keep them aware of any trials that could help their care.
Clinical trials are studies that try to answer questions about new ways to treat cancer with medications, radiation, or surgical techniques.
You participate in a clinical trial only if you volunteer to do so and meet criteria for inclusion in the study, and you can stop participating in a trial at any time.
The plan for the trial, called a protocol, explains the goal of the trial and how the study will be conducted. Based on the questions the research is trying to answer, each clinical trial protocol outlines specific criteria necessary to be eligible to join the trial.
Common criteria for entering a trial include:
Federal rules help ensure that clinical trials are run in an ethical manner, with your rights and safety protected. These rules ensure that you’re not put at increased risk by participating in the trial, and that the results of the study are accurate and meaningful.
Doctors at the Glimmer of Hope Metastatic Breast Cancer Clinic will regularly screen you to see if you qualify for any current clinical trials. If you qualify, you’ll have the opportunity for enrollment. You can also ask your doctor if you’re eligible to participate in one.
There are always new trials being opened for enrollment and the clinic watches them closely. You can view more at clinicaltrials.gov.
There are three ways for medical professionals who are not a part of Allegheny Health Network to refer their patients to an AHN Cancer Institute specialist and request their first appointment. You can:
For more information about referring your patient to an AHN specialist, read the Independent Physician Referral FAQs.
After referring your patient to an AHN specialist, use the EpicCare Link platform to collaborate with their AHN specialist and view your patient's test results, treatment plan, and progress.
Log in to your EpicCare Link account now.
If you are new to EpicCare Link or need to request your own EpicCare Link account, read: EpicCare Link for Patient Follow-up for user instructions and new account request forms.
If you can’t access your patient's AHN test results through the EpicCare Link platform, your patient will need to complete and submit the correct AHN Medical Records Release form based on their state of residency. Support your patient’s request by downloading the correct medical records release form for them:
EpicCare® is a registered trademark of Epic Systems Corporation and used with permission.
EpicCare® Link™ is a trademark of Epic Systems Corporation and used with permission.
