What are the treatment options for breast cancer ?

The treatment of breast cancer involves the removal of cancerous cells in the breasts through the use of multiple treatment procedures. This may also involve the removal of the breast which is called mastectomy. As the technology is getting advanced it brings in more and more treatments to cure breast cancer completely.

The treatment plan that is advised to you is based on your diagnosis and is unique to your condition. The aim, however, is to destroy your cancer cells and make sure cancer doesn’t recur.

Surgery

Surgery is the removal of the tumor and some surrounding healthy tissue during an operation. Surgery is also used to examine the nearby axillary lymph nodes, which are under the arm. A surgical oncologist is a doctor who specializes in treating cancer with surgery. Learn more about the basics of cancer surgery.

Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy is the use of drugs to destroy cancer cells, usually by keeping the cancer cells from growing, dividing, and making more cells. It may be given before surgery to shrink a large tumor, make surgery easier, and/or reduce the risk of recurrence, called neoadjuvant chemotherapy. It may also be given after surgery to reduce the risk of recurrence, called adjuvant chemotherapy.

Radiation therapy

Radiation therapy is the use of high-energy x-rays or other particles to destroy cancer cells. A doctor who specializes in giving radiation therapy to treat cancer is called a radiation oncologist. There are several different types of radiation therapy:

• External-beam radiation therapy. This is the most common type of radiation treatment and is given from a machine outside the body. This includes whole breast radiation therapy and partial breast radiation therapy, as well as accelerated breast radiation therapy, which can be several days instead of several weeks.

• Intra-operative radiation therapy. This is when radiation treatment is given using a probe in the operating room.

• Brachytherapy. This type of radiation therapy is given by placing radioactive sources into the tumor.

• Hormonal therapy

  Hormonal therapy, also called endocrine therapy, is an effective treatment for most tumors that test positive for either estrogen or progesterone receptors (called ER positive or PR positive). This type of tumor uses hormones to fuel its growth. Blocking the hormones can help prevent a cancer recurrence and death from breast cancer when hormonal therapy is used either by itself or after chemotherapy.

• The success rate of breast cancer treatment depends on how well your body responds to the treatment and in what way you manage your lifestyle. Cancer rehabilitation helps about 60 to 95% of women who survive breast cancer. Once you are through with your treatment, the next thing you need to focus on is to monitor your condition to prevent the recurrence of cancer. You may have to attend follow-up sessions with your doctor regularly to make sure things are going as per expectations. During these sessions, your symptoms of breast cancer will be physically examined for early detection of a recurrence or any new type of cancer.
• Breast reconstruction surgery is done to reform or reshape the breasts after a mastectomy or a lumpectomy. This is an optional surgery suggested by the surgeons in which a breast implant or a tissue flap is used to reshape the breasts.
• Results of chemotherapy usually vary from case to case.