Women who have received a diagnosis for breast cancer usually follow some sort of treatment to cure it or at least keep it under control. The best breast cancer treatment option depends on several factors, such as the location and size of the tumor, the stage of the disease and the results of laboratory tests.

Most breast cancer treatment options include a surgery as well. The common types of surgery are lumpectomy and mastectomy. Some women follow an additional treatment as well, such as chemotherapy, radiation therapy and medication, in order to stop the cancer from growing and spreading.

Lumpectomy

Lumpectomy means removing the tumor in the breast through surgery. Many women prefer this breast cancer treatment because it allows them to keep most of their breast. Lumpectomy is usually performed on Stage 0, Stage I or Stage II cancers and rarely on Stage III breast cancer. When combined with a six-week radiation therapy, it is referred to as “breast-conserving therapy”.

Mastectomy

Mastectomy is the removal of the whole breast through surgery and often some or all of the axillary lymph nodes as well. It is performed in Stage 0, I, II or III breast cancers and rarely on Stage IV breast cancer. Although this breast cancer treatment involves the removal of the entire breast, further reconstruction is generally possible.

Lymph Node Removal

This surgical procedure involves removing some or all of the underarm lymph nodes. It is usually performed on patients who have undergone a mastectomy to check whether the cancer has spread outside the breast or not. Sentinel node biopsy is a newer procedure which allows the removal of only the sentinel lymph node to evaluate cancer spread. A potential side effect of this breast cancer treatment is lymphedema (the chronic swelling of the patient's arm).

Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy is a breast cancer treatment with anticancer drugs, normally administered either orally or intravenously. It can be used alone or in combination with surgical treatments. The drug flows through the blood stream and is aimed to interfere with the DNA of cancer cells.

Radiation

Radiation therapy is a type of breast cancer treatment that uses high-energy rays to end the growing and dividing of cancer cells. It deposits energy in the affected area, damaging the genetic material and stopping the growth of cancer cells. Though it damages normal cells as well, these are usually able to repair themselves after treatment.

Medication Therapy

There is a wide variety of drugs that can be used in breast cancer treatment, either alone or in combination with a surgical procedure. The most common medicine is tamoxifen, which blocks the estrogen in the breast, thus helping slow the growth and dividing of cancer cells. Other medications include Herceptin, Ellence, Taxol, Docetaxel and Aromasin and they are used to treat different forms of breast cancer.

With the fast developing of medical technologies, more and more breast cancers can be treated successfully. However, breast cancer is still a cause of death for a large number of women worldwide. Regular breast examination is essential to ensure you discover any possible disease in time and get a treatment to cure it.

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