According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, breast cancer is the second most common cause of cancer death among women in the U.S. after lung cancer. Improvements in screening and adequate treatment continue to improve the survival rates of breast cancer patients.
Treatment of breast cancer, according to the National Institutes of Health, is determined based on a number of factors, including the type and stage of the cancer, its sensitivity to hormones and genetic makeup. Several treatment options can be combined for optimal response.
Surgical Treatment
In breast cancer, there are several surgical treatments, depending on stage and type of cancer and the patient's wishes.
Breast-conserving surgery aims to remove as little of the breast as possible while removing all the visibly cancerous tissue. This includes lumpectomy and partial mastectomy. These are usually followed by axillary lymph node dissection or sentinel node biopsy.
More extensive surgeries involve the removal of the affected breast with or without the underlying muscles. They include simple or total mastectomy, modified radical mastectomy and radical mastectomy.
Breast reconstruction is performed on those who wish to have the breast mound rebuilt after extensive surgery. The patient's tissues or implants are used in this reconstruction.
In some cases of hormone dependent cancers, oophorectomy, the surgical removal of the ovaries, is also part of breast cancer treatment.
Radiation Therapy
According to the National Cancer Institute, radiation therapy includes the use of xrays and other forms of radiation to kill cancer cells or inhibit their growth.
In external radiation, machines direct beams of radiation toward the cancer cells inside the body.
Internal radiation or brachytherapy involves the use of needles, catheters or wires to place radioactive compounds directly into the cancer.
Radiation therapy can be used as adjuvant (in addition to surgical treatment) or neo-adjuvant (preceding surgery) treatment in breast cancer.
Chemotherapy
Drugs that directly attack the breast cancer cells to either kill them or stop them from growing are used in chemotherapy. According to the American Cancer Society, chemotherapy can be used as adjuvant or neo-adjuvant therapy.
Chemotherapy can also be systemic--the drugs are given as oral, intravenous or intramuscular medications and are distributed throughout the body--or regional--distribution is localized as in body cavities like the spinal canal or the abdominal cavity.
According to the ACS, drug combinations are more effective during chemotherapy as this reduces the likelihood of resistance and treatment failure.
Some of the drug combinations mentioned by the ACS include CMF (cyclophosphamide, methotrexate and 5-fluorouracil) and TAC (docetaxel, Adriamycin and cyclophosphamide).
Hormone Therapy
According to the ACS, estrogen, the female sex hormone, promotes the growth of two out of three breast cancers. Thus, the aim of hormone therapy is to block the facilitatory action of estrogen on the cancers. Drugs employed in this type of systemic therapy include Tamoxifen, toremifene, fulvestrant, aromatase inhibitors (Femara, Arimidex and Aromasin) and androgens.
Targeted Therapy
Drugs specifically targeted at breast cancer cells are used in targeted therapy. These drugs are designed to attack structures and receptors specific to the breast cancer cells. They include Herceptin, Tykerb and Avastin.
Complementary and Alternative Treatments
Complementary and alternative treatments, according to the CDC, do not treat breast cancer directly, but appear to improve the well-being of the patient and relieve some adverse effects of other modes of treatment. They include multivitamins, food supplements, herbs, analgesics, yoga and meditation.
