For this special issue, timed to the start of Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October, we wanted to spotlight all the incredible innovation happening when it comes to diagnosing and treating this disease, which will affect one out of every eight women in her lifetime. In particular, we’re taking a closer look at what, until recently, was considered the bleakest of all diagnoses: Stage 4 or metastatic breast cancer (MBC), which is the most advanced form of the condition. 

That’s why it’s so encouraging to see women like our cover star, Katie Thurston, facing an entirely different prognosis, one that is filled with hope. Thanks to a growing number of treatment and medication options, MBC patients like Thurston are planning for longer futures than was previously thought possible. Coming on the heels of news about a possible breast cancer vaccine being available by the end of the decade, these breakthroughs represent the best of what science has to offer—and give us all something to root for.