Breast Cancer Treatment: A Guide

There are many treatment options for breast cancer. Typically, treatment depends on the type and stage of the cancer. Other factors like overall health and personal preferences are also generally taken into account. Creating a treatment plan for breast cancer can feel overwhelming. Talking with your doctor about all your options, their risks, and their side effects can help. Ask questions about anything that might concern you. This will help you make the most informed decision on the most effective treatment for your circumstances.

This article discusses each of the most common treatment options for breast cancer.

Most people with breast cancer will have Trusted Source American Cancer Society Highly respected international organization Go to source surgery as part of their treatment plan. There are different types of surgery that doctors may recommend. The type of surgery used to treat your breast cancer depends on your individual circumstances.

The types of surgery to treat breast cancer include:

• Breast-conserving surgery (BCS): In this type of surgery, the cancer as well as some of the surrounding tissue is removed. How much of the breast is removed depends on the tumor’s size and where it’s located.
• Mastectomy: In this type of surgery, the entire breast is removed along with the breast tissue and some of the nearby tissue.
• Sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB): In this procedure, a surgeon injects a dye and then only removes the lymph nodes under your arm that take up that dye. These are the lymph nodes where the cancer is more likely to spread.
• Axillary lymph node dissection (ALND): This procedure does not use dye. The surgeon removes multiple lymph nodes from under your arm. This procedure is no longer used as often.
• Breast reconstruction: Many who have breast cancer surgery also have the option for breast reconstruction surgery. There are several different types of reconstruction surgery. Your personal options depend on your medical situation as well as personal preferences.

Radiation or radiotherapy is a treatment for breast cancer that uses high-energy radiation to clear away cancer cells and shrink tumors.

There are two types of radiation therapy that may be used to treat breast cancer:

• External beam radiation: This type uses a machine outside of your body that sends radiation to the cancer-affected area.
• Internal radiation therapy: This type of radiation uses a radioactive substance that’s sealed in needles, seeds, wires, or catheters. It is administered directly into or nearby the cancer.

The type of radiation therapy you receive depends on the type of cancer and what stage it’s in. Radiation therapy can cause side effects. These are mostly skin related. Speak with your radiation oncologist about possible side effects and how to manage them during your treatment.

Read more about breast cancer radiation.

Chemotherapy uses specialized medications to clear or shrink cancer cells. Typically, these medications are given orally, intravenously, or via a combination of the two.

Chemotherapy is a systemic treatment. This means that the medications travel throughout Trusted Source American Cancer Society Highly respected international organization Go to source your entire body in your bloodstream. Chemotherapy is often used in combination with other treatments. Whether you need it depends on the stage of cancer, size of the tumor, and the risk of the cancer spreading to other parts of your body.

Chemotherapy often causes side effects, such as:

• hair loss
• fatigue
• diarrhea
• nerve damage

It’s important to discuss all possible side effects with your oncologist.

Read more about chemotherapy.

Hormones like estrogen and progesterone affect Trusted Source American Cancer Society Highly respected international organization Go to source certain types of cancer. The cells of these types of cancer attach to the hormones, which helps the cells grow.

Hormone therapy blocks the actions of hormones or removes them to keep the cancer from growing. This may be used in combination with other therapies to clear cancer cells and keep them from spreading.

Estrogen, the hormone that causes many cancers to grow, is mainly produced in the ovaries. Ovarian ablation is a therapy that stops the ovaries from producing estrogen.

The type of hormone therapy you receive depends on the type of cancer, the stage, and your overall health. Generally, this type of treatment is for those assigned female at birth who have not yet entered menopause.

Read more about hormone therapy for cancer.

Targeted therapy is a treatment that targets certain cancer cell characteristics that allow the cancer to grow rapidly. One type of characteristic of the cancer cells this type of treatment may target is proteins.

Targeted therapy is typically less likely to harm healthy cells than chemotherapy. Certain types of targeted therapies are antibodies similar to the ones your immune system produces naturally.

There are many different types of targeted therapy. You can discuss your options with your oncologist to find the most effective treatment for you.

Read more about targeted therapy.

Immunotherapy is a treatment that uses your immune system to treat cancer. Substances that your body naturally makes or that are laboratory-made boost, direct, or restore your body’s natural defenses.

Immunotherapy is considered a biologic treatment. There are two types of immunotherapy that are typically used to treat breast cancer:

• Immune checkpoint inhibitors: These are medications that help Trusted Source American Cancer Society Highly respected international organization Go to source restore your body’s immune response against breast cancer cells. They do this by using proteins, or checkpoints, on immune cells that must be turned on or off to trigger an immune response.
• Targeted immunotherapy: This treatment targets specific receptors on breast cancer cells. These types of medications can also help treat breast cancer by telling your body’s immune system to destroy the cancer cells.

Read more about immunotherapy.

There are different treatment options for breast cancer. Many of them are typically used in combination with each other. Generally, surgery is combined with at least one of the other types of treatment.

Not everyone who develops breast cancer will require the same types of treatment. Treatment for breast cancer typically depends on the type of cancer, the stage, and your overall health.

It’s important to speak with your doctor about all your treatment options. Be sure to ask about side effects and anything else that may concern you. This enables you and your doctor to create the most effective treatment plan for your personal circumstances.