Treating Breast Cancer
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In
The Know: Breast Cancer
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Quick Facts
- Early Warning Signs: The breast nipple becomes inverted, develops a rash, has changes in skin texture, or has a discharge other than breast milk.
- Important Facts: Seventy percent of all breast cancers are found through breast self-exams. Not all breast lumps are detectable by touch.
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Being diagnosed with breast cancer is a difficult and often emotional experience. Learning more about the disease can help you cope. There are many different treatment options for breast cancer including surgery, chemotherapy, radiation, hormonal therapy and others. Treatment methods of breast cancer are determined by the stage of the disease. Staging is a method used to determine how widespread the cancer has become. Although breast cancer staging can be complex, your doctor can help explain the process to you.
Below are some of the most common methods of treating breast cancer:
Breast-sparing surgery – In this method, the surgeon removes the tumor in the breast and some tissue around it. This is also known as a lumpectomy. Occasionally, some of the lining over the chest muscles below the tumor and some lymph nodes under the arm are also removed.
Mastectomy – An operation to remove the breast or as much of the breast tissue as possible. During a mastectomy, the surgeon often removes lymph nodes under the arm in addition to the breast.
Radiation Therapy – This treatment is used to destroy any possible cancer cells and is often used after breast-sparing surgery or a mastectomy. There are two types of radiation that can be used. External radiation is given from a machine while internal radiation is implanted in plastic tubes put directly inside the breast.
Chemotherapy – For the treatment of breast cancer, chemotherapy is usually a combination of drugs given by pills or an IV solution. In most cases, chemotherapy is performed on an outpatient basis.
Hormonal Therapy – If your lab tests show that your breast tumor has hormone receptors, you doctor will probably recommend hormonal therapy. This treatment keeps cancer cells from getting the natural hormones (estrogen and progesterone) they need to grow.
Biological Therapy – This type of therapy uses the body’s immune system to fight cancer. Women with metastatic breast cancer often receive a biological therapy called Herceptin ®. This drug, given by injection, blocks a specific protein to help slow or stop the growth of cancer cells.
Doctors have become increasingly successful in developing effective treatments for breast cancer. This has lead to a higher survival rate for women diagnosed with this disease. However, the best way to fight breast cancer is still early detection. Make sure you follow accepted guidelines for screening and have a yearly mammogram if you are age forty or over – it could save your life!
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