Types of Cancer > Breast Cancer > Treatment

Breast Cancer Treatment

Surgery
Most women with breast cancer are treated with some form of surgery. Fortunately, surgical techniques have improved dramatically, allowing many women to undergo surgery that preserves the breast. Although every case varies, breast cancer surgery usually involves the removal of the tumor and one or more lymph nodes to determine if the cancer has spread beyond the breast.

There are several types of surgical procedures for breast cancer.

Lumpectomy
Lumpectomy is a breast-conserving treatment that involves removing only the breast lump and some of the surrounding normal tissue.

Partial Mastectomy
During a partial mastectomy, surgeons remove more breast tissue than in a lumpectomy.

Simple Mastectomy
The entire breast is removed during a simple mastectomy, but the lymph nodes under the arm or muscle tissue from beneath the breast are left intact.

Modified Radical Mastectomy
A radical mastectomy involves removing the entire breast and some of the lymph nodes under the arm.

Radical Mastectomy
A radical mastectomy -- which involves the removal of the entire breast, lymph nodes and chest wall muscles under the breast - is rarely performed because modified radical mastectomies are as effective and involve less disfigurement.

Prophylactic Mastectomy
Prophylactic mastectomy involves the removal of the breast even though no cancer is present as a precautionary measure. Women with genetic mutations that put them at greater risk of developing cancer may choose a prophylactic mastectomy.

Axillary Dissection
During breast surgery, a physician may perform an axillary dissection, which involves the removal of lymph nodes under the arm to determine if the cancer has spread.

Sentinel Node Biopsy
Some women may have a sentinel node biopsy instead of standard axillary node. During this procedure, the surgeon removes just one lymph node - the sentinel node where cancer would travel first - to determine if the cancer has spread. If the sentinel node is free of cancer, the other lymph nodes are left intact. If cancer does exist in the sentinel node, other lymph nodes are removed for examination.

Breast Reconstruction
Plastic surgeons can restore the appearance of the breast following a mastectomy. The breast reconstruction process, which involves several surgeries, can begin at the time of the mastectomy or at a later date. Surgeons can use implants or skin from a woman's abdomen or other parts of the body to reconstruct the breast during a series of operations.

Radiation Therapy/Radiation Oncology
Radiation therapists can deliver higher doses of radiation to the breast and surrounding area with fewer side effects using techniques such as intensity modulated radiation therapy. Radiation therapy is often used in conjunction with lumpectomy or mastectomy to eradicate any cancer cells that may remain near the area were the cancer originally developed, thereby reducing the chance of a recurrence or spreading of the disease.

Chemotherapy
Women with breast cancer may undergo chemotherapy if tests indicate or physicians suspect that the cancer has spread to other parts of the body. Combinations and sequences of different chemotherapy drugs are used to destroy cancer cells. Which chemotherapy drugs are used depends on the type of breast cancer, the age of the woman (premenopausal or postmenopausal), the location and size of the tumor, and the presence of estrogen or progesterone receptors.

Sometimes chemotherapy is administered before surgery (called neoadjuvant therapy) for inflammatory breast cancer or for large masses in the breast or in lymph nodes. This may allow women to have a lumpectomy instead of a mastectomy following the chemotherapy.

While undergoing chemotherapy patients often experience fatigue. However, if patients experience other symptoms, they should call a physician or nurse right away. See When to Call - A Guide to Understanding Symptoms from Chemotherapy to learn more.

Hormone Therapy
Hormone therapy is used to block the effect or to lower the levels of estrogen, a hormone that promotes the growth of breast cancer cells.