Breast cancer varies greatly in every woman. For some, detection is early and the treatment is easy, while in others the disease has spread and requires more complex medical attention. The factors doctors take into consideration include age, severity, overall health of the patient and the patient's personal treatment preference. A variety of options exist, but their efficacy will vary, depending on the case.
Surgery
Many types of surgery are available, and it is the severity of the cancer that determines the type of surgery each patient undergoes.
A lumpectomy is the least invasive surgery and is an option for early stage cancer, the Mayo Clinic notes. During this procedure, the tumor and a small area of healthy tissue surrounding it are removed.
A mastectomy is the next choice and two types exist--simple and radical. During a simple mastectomy, the entire breast is taken, while in a radical mastectomy, the doctor removes the whole breast along with underlying chest wall muscles and the lymph nodes under the armpit. Reconstructive surgery may be done at the time of either mastectomy, or can wait until a later date.
Radiation Therapy
Radiation therapy uses high-beam energy to destroy remaining cancerous cells at the site, and to prevent the cancer from spreading. The American Cancer Society explains that two types of radiation exist, the most common for breast cancer being external radiation. It delivers the beams of energy from a machine outside of the body which is directed specifically at the site of the cancer. The extent of radiation depends on the site and severity of the cancer.
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy incorporates the use of various drugs to treat breast cancer which are either given orally or through the veins. These drugs travel through the bloodstream destroying cancer cells that have spread. The drawback is that they cannot differentiate between healthy and cancerous cells; this results in unpleasant side effects such as nausea, vomiting and fatigue as healthy cells are destroyed along with the cancer.
The American Cancer Society explains that in some cases, chemotherapy is given prior to surgery to help shrink large tumors, thus increasing the success rate of the surgery. Another option is combination therapy; this uses both radiation and chemotherapy together to increase the survival success rate.
Hormone Therapy
The Mayo Clinic describes hormone therapy as a type of therapy a doctor uses to prevent breast cancer recurrence. Another type of systemic therapy--the type of therapy that travels through the bloodstream--it is also an option for patients whose cancer has come back after treatment is complete. Hormone therapy helps to shrink and control cancer that has spread.
A variety of medications are available for patients using hormone therapy, one of which is tamoxifen. This blocks estrogen in the body from attaching itself to estrogen receptors in the body, thus slowing the growth of tumors in the breast, or destroying tumor cells estrogen would otherwise promote the growth of.
Aromatase inhibitors--such as anastrozole (Arimidex), letrozole (Femara) and exemestane (Aromasin)--work only on postmenopausal women. They block an enzyme in the body responsible for converting hormones into estrogen, thus reducing the risk of cancerous growth in breast cells.
