Treatment Options
Breast Cancer Treatment Options
Treatment options for breast cancer focus on two objectives to ensure the health of the patient. The first is to remove the malignant tissue from the breast, which can be done through surgical methods. The second is to prevent the cancer from coming back, which can be done through different therapeutic methods. These can be local, systemic, or both depending on the extent and the spread of the cancer through the lymph system.
Surgery Treatment
- Lumpectomy: This refers to a procedure which is used to remove the affected tissue of the breast. This treatment is usually followed up with chemotherapy to destroy outlying cancer cells. The aim of this treatment is to maintain the appearance of the breast and to achieve the same complete excisional results as that of a mastectomy.
- Partial or Segmental Mastectomy or Quadrantectomy: Similar procedure as a lumpectomy, but more tissue is excised and taken from the breast.
- Total Mastectomy: Full breast removal surgery, but no lymph nodes are removed in this procedure.
- Radical Mastectomy: Removal of all breast tissue along with nipple, and lymph nodes from the underarm. Other less pervasive breast saving surgeries have proven to be equally effective to total breast removal.
Therapy Treatments
- Radiation Therapy: Systemic or localized treatment employed to destroy cancer cells.
- Chemotherapy: This is a preventative treatment used after lumpectomy or mastectomy. After surgery, the hope is that Chemotherapy will prevent the cancer from coming back. On occasion when the tumor is particularly large, health care providers may introduce chemotherapy as a way to shrink down the cancer prior to removal. Women who have cancer that has spread beyond the breast and lymph nodes may be given chemo treatment as well. There are many side effects that can occur during chemotherapy treatment such as hair loss, hot flashes, nausea, and in some cases even early menopause.
- Hormone Therapy: Because hormones - in particular estrogen - can promote the growth of breast cancer cells, hormone therapy blocks hormones from being released in the body. Drugs on the market include: Tamoxifen, and aromatase inhibitors: Femara, Arimidex and Aromasin. Side effects to this treatment include vaginal dryness, hot flashes and nausea.
- Biological Therapy: This treatment works with one’s own immune system to destroy cancer cells in the body. One antibody (mediated) therapy called Herceptin, targets breast cancer cells by identifying high levels of protein called HER2. The idea behind the treatments is that because the body is using its natural defense system, there are fewer side effects because healthy cells remain unaffected. Biological therapies are still in the experimental phases and many more methods are being explored. Angiogenesis inhibitors cut off oxygen and nutrient supply to new blood vessels. This treatment is believed to work because tumors are made up of aggressive and fast growing blood vessels. Signal transduction inhibitors are also in research stages, and attach to cancer cells and prevent them from dividing further. Side effects include swelling, nausea and fever.
