Breast Cancer Treatment Options

Over the past decade there has been advancementsconsidered breast-conserving therapyor what is
in many of the treatmentsavailable for Breast Cancer.commonly called a lumpectomy. A lumpectomy is
Through constant research we have come a longwhere only the tumor isremoved and then once this
way from the limited treatment options available inhas been done the patient will undergo a series
the past. The top treatment choices available todayofweeks of Radiation treatments to cleanse the
are surgery, radiation, hormonal treatmentsurrounding tissue and preventrecurrance.
(anti-estrogen based) and chemotherapy. These 4The mastectomy is still available as a treatment
regimins are often used in conjunction with eachoptions and this is basically whereall of the breast
other or adjuvantly. If you have been diagnosed withtissue is removed down to and sometimes including
breast cancer and are offered a choice ofthe chestwallmuscles. Radiation is also performed to
treatments from this wide array it can be verycleanse the affected area after amastectomy in alot
confusing. We all know we want what is best for usof cases.
but sometimes with the many options available howRadiation Therapy: radiation therapy consists of the
can one be sure?use of high powered X orgamma rays that precisely
We will try to provide you with an overview of thetarget the area that is being treated. These X or
treatments available and how theyrelate to the stageGammarays are very effective in destroying the
of cancer you might have. Use this information tocancer cells that might recur where thetumor was
educateyourself so when it comes time for you andremoved.
your doctor to make a decision you willknow theThe use of radiation therapy for breast cancer is
facts on hand.usually given after surgery hasbeen performed and
There are 3 General Types of Treatment Categoriesthe purpose of the radiation is to reduce the change
Available Today:that thecancer will recur. Radiation reduces the risk of
Local Treatment (Regional Treatment) - this type ofrecurrance of breast cancerconsdirably.
treatment is localized to thebreast and localHormone Therapy: some breast cancers are
lymphatics only or adjacent lymphatics to where thehormone-receptor positive. This meansthat the
tumor waslocated.cancer will grow and spread if the hormone estrogen
Systemic Treatments - treat the whole body and areis present. If this isfound to be the case with your
usually reserved for theprevention of spreadtype of breast cancer then the us of
(metastases) or directy to target spread that hasanti-estrogenhormone therapy will probably be used
occured.to lower the levels of estrogen in your bodywhich in
Alternative Therapy - these are considered holisticturn will prevent the cancer cells from beign
therapy and can be helpful buthave never beenstimulated and growing orspreading to other parts of
proven to cure.the body
We will pay close attention to Local and SystemicTamoxifen has been used for years as a
treatments as the choices availableto cure breastanti-estrogen hormone therapy drug withbreast
cancer.cancer. In 2005 clinical trials from all of the world
Surgery: surgery has been the number oneprovided informationsaying that aromatase inhibitors
treatment option available for breastcancer for wellworked alot better than Tamoxifen in
over the past century. Today unlike surgery in thepostmenopausal woman with hormone-receptor
past the surgeonscan precisely target the areapositive breast cancer. Now this wasonly in
consisting of the tumor and surrounding tissuepost-menopausal woman and Tamoxifen is still the
andremove only what is necessary and leaving adrug of choice for pre-menopausal woman.
considerable amount of breast tissue intact. TheseChemotherapy: in some breast cancers the risk over
new methods have come a long way from the daysspread (metastases) is greaterthan in others.
of the radicalmastecomy where patients where oftenRemember everybody is different and everybody's
left deformed for life. And even the newertechniquescancer will bedifferent. If involvment of the lymph
available for a mastecomy today are alot less drasticnodes is found,tumor size is great enough, or ahigher
than they where saygrade is found your oncologist might suggest
30 years ago.chemotherapy alone with othertreatments including
Today most surgery done for breast cancer issurgery and radiation.