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Breast Cancer Treatments

The main purposes of breast cancer treatments are:

• Control of the primary tumor site
• Minimise the risk of developing metastatic cancer
• Maintenance of quality of life

For every stage of breast cancer, you and your health care team may consider three types of treatments. They are as following:

Local Treatments

This type of treatment is involved directly with the breast and surrounding area of the breast such as adjacent lymph nodes. In the case of secondary cancer (metastatic cancer), local treatments may be performed in the specific areas where cancer may have spread, such as bones or lungs.

Breast cancer is often diagnosed with basic surgery, such as biopsy or lumpectomy. Sometimes, the surgery may turn out to be only diagnostic, to see what the next steps might be. Sometimes the initial surgery might turn out to be diagnostic and therapeutic, and the removal of all the cancer that can be detected in the breast, is done.

Surgical treatment

Including lumpectomy or mastectomy combined with radiotherapy, is the main method for controlling tumor recurrence at the site of primary tumor.

Systemic Treatments

This type of treatment usually involves targeting the whole body or system. The aim of systemic therapy is to remove any cancer cells that may have spread to other parts of the body. Many experts believe that if the cancer has spread and formed tumours elsewhere in the body, systemic treatments can help to shrink the cancer and that may also help with remission. There are four main types of systemic treatment:

Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy is a form of medicine that can be given as a pill or given directly into the bloodstream via needle injection or port. Chemotherapy works by interfering the with the cancers cells to prevent them reproducing and functioning.

Chemotherapy works very well because these types of medicines like to interfere with the rapid growth of cells. The side effects occur because the cancer cells are not the only rapidly growing cells in the body. The cells in the blood, intestinal tract, nails, hair, vagina, and mouth are also ongoing constant dividing cells. This means that chemotherapy will interfere their growth as well. This is the reason why most cancer suffers, who undergo chemotherapy, experience side effects such as hair loss, dry vagina, mouth sores, etc.

Hormonal Treatment (anti-estrogen therapies)

Hormonal treatments are medicines that can be given via pill or by injection under the skin. These medications work by reducing the amount of estrogen in the body or blocking estrogen’s effects in order to inhibit cancer cell growth throughout the body.

Immune Therapy

Immune therapy is a new form of medicine that tries to use or imitate the body’s system in fighting disease. The term ‘immune therapy’ comes from the immune system. There are two forms of immune therapy. One is called ‘active immunity’. The most common form of active immunity is vaccination. Vaccines work by stimulating or tricking the body’s defenses system into blocking or interfering cancer cell activity. Another form is known as ‘passive immunity’. Passive immunity works by giving the body a fighting protein or ‘antibody’, so that the immune system can work against the cancer. There is only one immune therapy that is available to use at the moment, Herceptin. Herceptin can be given directly into the bloodstream by using injection needle or port.

Anti-angiogenesis Therapies

This treatment works by preventing the growth of new blood vessels that help bring food and nutrients to the cancer cells. At the moment, this form of treatment is only available in clinical trials on a limited basis.

Alternative Therapies and Complementary Medicine

These treatments are normally used to treat the whole person, including mind, spirit and the whole body. Consult your doctor before choosing these, as alternative therapies can sometimes interfere with other treatments.