Whether the lump is found during a self-exam or detected during a mammogram, each patient diagnosed with breast cancer will inevitably need to decide their course of treatment.
The National Cancer Institute reports that there are five standard treatments used to battle cancer.
Surgery
Most patients will have surgery to remove the cancerous lump in the breast and any affected lymph nodes under the arm. Patients may also undergo a partial, or segmental mastectomy, where part of the breast is removed.
Others may require a total mastectomy, which includes the removal of the entire breast that has cancer. Some cancer patients may need a modified radical mastectomy where the breast is removed along with many lymph nodes under the arm, the lining over the chest muscles and sometimes, part of the chest wall muscles.
A radical mastectomy, or Halsted radical mastectomy includes removal of the breast, all lymph nodes under the arm and chest wall muscles under the breast.
Radiation therapy
A cancer treatment using high-energy x-rays or other types of radiation to kill cancer cells and keep them from growing, radiation is often performed as part of post-surgical treatment.
External radiation uses a machine outside the body to send radiation to the cancer.
Internal radiation utilizes a radioactive substance within needles, seeds, wires or catheters placed directly in the area of the cancer.
Chemotherapy
The therapy uses drugs to stop the growth of cancer cells by killing the cells or keeping them from dividing. It can be given orally or through a vein.
Systemic chemotherapy is taken by mouth or injected into a vein to spread throughout the blood stream.
Regional chemotherapy is placed directly into the spinal cord, an organ or body cavity such as the abdomen to affect cancer cells in those areas.
Hormone therapy
The therapy removes hormones or blocks their action and stops cancer cells from growing. Some hormones can cause cancer to grow. Oral drugs are used to impede the release of hormones.
Targeted therapy
Drugs and other substances are used to identify and attack specific cancer cells without harming normal cells. Monoclonal antibodies and tyrosine kinase inhibitors are two types of targeted therapies being studied in the treatment of breast cancer.
Special Reports
Cancer treatment
The National Cancer Institute reports five standard treatments
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ACS dominates local headlines in 2010
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