Breast cancer occurs when cell types within the breast begin to proliferate out of control. This can lead to the development of tumors within the milk-producing lobules of the breast, the ducts which connect the lobules to the nipple, or within the nipple itself. As breast cancer progresses, cells within the tumor invade neighboring tissue in a process called metastasis. Although breast cancer treatment may lead to remission of the cancer, there is a possibility of cancer recurrence in the breast or the development of breast cancer metastases in other parts of the body. A number of treatment strategies can be used to treat breast cancer recurrence.
Mastectomy
The treatment for breast cancer often involves surgical removal of a tumor, though some breast cancer surgeries preserve more tissue than others. Lumpectomies involve the removal of the breast tumor, but leave unaffected breast tissue intact; simple mastectomies remove the breast but preserve the underlying tissue; and radical mastectomies remove the breast and underlying tissue. Women who undergo a lumpectomy are at a slightly higher risk for breast cancer recurrence, according to Imaginis.
If breast tumors develop following initial surgery, the patient may have to undergo a more aggressive surgery to remove the secondary tumor. A woman who previously had a lumpectomy may require a mastectomy upon breast cancer recurrence, or a woman who underwent a simple mastectomy may require additional surgery to remove tissue around the breast. The surgery used to treat breast cancer recurrence depends on the location of the cancerous tissue.
Hormonal Therapy
The breasts are hormonally-regulated tissues, and hormone therapies can be used to treat primary breast cancer, as well as breast cancer recurrence. If a primary breast tumor was initially treated with hormone therapy, such as an estrogen blocker like Tamoxifen, cases of breast cancer recurrence will often require a different therapeutic approach. The different approach is required in case the cancer has become resistant to the initial treatment.
According to the University of Florida, hormone-related treatment for recurring breast cancer is removal of the ovaries. Since the ovaries are responsible for releasing estrogen into the blood, removing the ovaries will decrease the circulating estrogen and slow breast cancer growth. Medicines known as aromatase inhibitors may also be used to treat recurrent breast cancers, since these drugs block estrogen signalling.
Chemotherapy
Additional courses of chemotherapy may be used to treat recurrent breast cancer. Chemotherapy may be especially effective if breast cancer recurrence occurs throughout a number of tissues in the body due to tumor metastasis. The use of chemotherapy can target cancer cells throughout the entire body, whereas radiation therapy and surgery only target cells at the site of treatment.
There are a number of chemotherapy drugs available, which target rapidly dividing cells throughout the body, such as cancer cells. The use of some chemotherapy agents can severely damage the DNA of cancer cells, leading to cell death, whereas other chemotherapy agents prevent the function of essential cellular processes in cancer cells. The chemotherapy drugs used, as well as the dosage and duration of treatment, should be decided by a doctor on a case-by-case basis.
