March 22 (Bloomberg) -- Elizabeth Edwards will probably receive hormonal therapy to help control the spread of her incurable breast cancer, doctors said. The treatment will enable her to continue campaigning alongside her husband. What it won't do is save her.

Edwards, 57, said at a press conference today that cancer has appeared in a rib two years after she was treated for breast cancer. Her husband, Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards, called the disease ``not curable but treatable.''

If further tests confirm that the cancer has not spread to Edwards's lungs, chances are good for keeping it under control, doctors said. Instead of surgery and radiation, she will probably be treated with medications that target the hormones fueling cancer cells or the specific proteins involved in cancer growth.

``There is a shift in the focus, with patients now saying, `What can I do to have the best impact on my quality of life and keep me functioning for the longest period of time?''' said Deborah Armstrong, associate professor of oncology and gynecology at Johns Hopkins Medical School in Baltimore. ``The goal of therapy is to live longer, minimize the symptoms and minimize the spread, which are quality of life issues.''

Six or Seven Years?

A patient in a case like Edwards's could survive as long as six or seven years, according to Mehra Golshan, a surgical oncologist at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, who called that a ``rough estimate'' and noted that he did not know the specifics of the case. Much will depend on whether the cancer shows up in other organs or is resistant to medications.

``She will get a period of treatment with chemotherapy or hormonal therapy and will get repeat bone scans to see what happens after two to three months of treatment,'' Golshan said. ``She'll be monitored very closely, and if there are any signs the therapy isn't working they'll switch to a different one.''

Edwards will probably receive a hormonal therapy called an aromatase inhibitor, such as Pfizer Inc.'s Aromasin or AstraZeneca Plc's Arimidex, according to Susan Love, a breast cancer expert and author of women's health books who also doesn't have specific knowledge of Edwards's case. The drugs target estrogen that may be fueling the cancer.

About 88 percent of women treated for breast cancer are alive five years later, according to the National Cancer Institute.

Edwards was diagnosed with cancer after detecting a lump in her breast in 2004 while on the campaign trail for her husband in Kenosha, Wisconsin. By the following March, she had completed treatment involving chemotherapy, surgery and radiation.

Edwards's Doctor

Edwards's doctor, Lisa Carey, said at the press conference today in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, that some people can live for many years with breast cancer that has spread to a bone.

``Unfortunately we won't know until we give therapy how hers will go,'' Carey said. The type of treatment Edwards will receive won't be determined until after more test results, she said. More tests are also needed to see whether the cancer has spread to other sites, including the lungs, Carey said.

John Edwards and other Democratic presidential candidates are scheduled to participate in a forum on health care March 24 in Las Vegas.

To contact the reporter on this story: Angela Zimm in Boston azimm@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: March 22, 2007 17:56 EDT