Surgery
There are three types of surgery used to treat breast cancer. The first, lumpectomy, is used with the goal of preserving as much breast tissue as possible. A relatively small tumor that has not invaded surrounding tissue is a candidate for lumpectomy. A mastectomy removes all of the breast tissue, including the fatty tissue, the milk ducts and the nipple. In a radical mastectomy, the surgeon removes the muscle from the chest wall as well as at least one lymph node. The surgeon will test the lymph node for the presence of cancer cells. Cancer cells in the lymph node indicate that other lymph nodes in the armpit may be affected, and the direction of treatment may change, as there is a greater likelihood that the cancer has spread.
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy is a medication or combination of medications administered orally or through an intravenous line. The goal of chemotherapy is to shrink any cancer cells that may remain after surgical removal. Chemotherapy affects the entire body, and your doctor may recommend it if he believes the cancer has spread. Chemotherapy is occasionally used before surgery as well, to shrink the size of the tumor so it is more likely to be successfully surgically removed.
Radiation
Radiation kills cancer cells with energy beams. Radiation is administered either by directing the energy beams at the affected area while the patient lies under a machine, or by surgically placing radioactive material in the body. Radiation is most common after a lumpectomy, but, according to BreastCancer.org, is also occasionally recommended after a mastectomy.
Follow-up Therapy
Several treatments may be used long term after the initial treatment for breast cancer. Hormone blocking therapy treats hormone positive cancers. The Mayo Clinic explains that there are three basic types of hormone therapy medications: medication that block hormones from attaching to cancer cells, which helps slow the growth of any remaining cancer cells; aromatase inhibitors that prevent the body from producing estrogen, effective only after menopause; and medications that stop the hormone production in pre-menopausal women.
Another type of follow-up therapy is targeted therapy. There are certain weaknesses within cancer cells that, when targeted by specialized medication, can kill the cancer cells. These drugs may block the protein that helps the cancer cell grow or stop the cancer cell from attracting new blood vessels so that they die from lack of nutrients and oxygen.
