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Breast Cancer Treatments
How is breast cancer treated?
When breast cancer is detected at an early stage of development, a number of effective treatment options are available. A woman and her physician will choose the treatment that is right for her, based on the location and extent of the cancer, her age and preferences, and the risks and benefits of each treatment. The basic treatment choices for breast cancer are surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, and hormone therapy. Local treatments, such as breast surgery and radiation therapy, are focused on the breast itself to remove or destroy the cancer cells confined to the breast. Systemic treatments, such as chemotherapy and hormone therapy, aim to destroy the cancer cells that may have spread throughout the body.
Surgery has an important role in breast cancer treatment. Most women can choose between breast-conserving surgery (lumpectomy plus radiation) or removal of the breast (mastectomy). Clinical trials have proven that both options provide the same long-term survival rates for most types of early stage breast cancer.
Lumpectomy removes a small tumor and a margin of normal tissue around the tumor. The surgeon also removes some of the lymph nodes under the arm to find out if the cancer has spread. Lumpectomy is followed by radiation therapy to destroy any remaining cancer cells. Modified radical mastectomy is surgery to remove the entire breast, some of the lymph nodes under the arm, and the lining over the chest muscles. It may be appropriate when the breast tumor is large or if cancer is found in more than one part of the breast. Radical mastectomy involves removal of the breast, chest muscles, and all lymph nodes under the arm. It was the standard treatment many years ago, but it is used now only when a tumor has spread to the chest muscles.Radiation therapy uses high-energy x-rays to destroy cancer cells. It is usually used after lumpectomy to destroy any cancer cells that still may remain in the breast after surgery. It is sometimes used to shrink tumors before surgery.
Chemotherapy uses drugs, usually a combination of drugs, that travel through the body to slow the growth of cancer cells or kill them.
Hormone therapy prevents cancer cells from getting the hormones they need to grow. If a breast tumor relies on the bodys natural hormones to grow, it is described as estrogen-positive or progesterone-positive. This means that any cancer cells that remain after surgery may continue to grow when these hormones are present in the body. Hormone therapy can block the hormones from reaching any remaining cancer cells.
Breast Cancer FactsStatistics for Your StateBreast Self Exam
Reprinted courtesy of http://www.nbcam.org
Breast Cancer Treatments