Breast Cancer Treatments

How is breast cancer treated?

Treatment of breast cancer begins with seeking regular medical care throughout your life. Regular medical care allows a health care professional to best evaluate your risks of developing breast cancer, perform breast exams, recommend screening mammography, and promptly order diagnostic testing for such symptoms as a breast lump or changes in the breast. These measures greatly increase your chances of detecting breast cancer in its earliest, most curable stage.

The goal of treatment is to permanently cure the cancer or to bring about a complete remission of the disease. Remission means that there is no longer any sign of the disease in the body, although it may recur or relapse later.

Breast cancer treatment plans use a multifaceted approach that is individualized to the type of breast cancer and stage of advancement; your age, medical history, and coexisting diseases or conditions; and other factors.

Breast cancer treatment may include a combination of:

• Breast reconstructive surgery to recreate a breast after mastectomy (surgical removal of the breast)
• Chemotherapy
• Dietary counseling to help people with cancer maintain their strength and nutritional status
• Hormonal therapy to block the effects of estrogen for certain types of breast cancer that are stimulated by estrogen
• Lumpectomy surgery to remove the cancerous breast lump in early-stage cancer while leaving the rest of the breast intact
• Mastectomy surgery to remove a part of or the entire affected breast, which may include removal of nearby lymph nodes and part of the chest muscles
• Pain medications
• Palliative care to improve the overall quality of life for families and patients with serious diseases
• Participation in a clinical trial to test promising new therapies and treatments for breast cancer
• Physical therapy to help strengthen the body, increase alertness, reduce fatigue, and improve functional ability during and after cancer treatment
• Radiation therapy
• Targeted therapy drugs to kill specific types of breast cancer cells with little damage to healthy cells

Complementary treatments

Some complementary treatments may help some people to better deal with breast cancer and its treatments. These treatments, sometimes referred to as alternative therapies, are used in conjunction with traditional medical treatments. Complementary treatments are not meant to substitute for traditional medical care. Be sure to notify your doctor if you are consuming nutritional supplements or homeopathic (nonprescription) remedies as they may interact with the prescribed medical therapy.

Complementary treatments may include:

• Acupuncture
• Massage therapy
• Nutritional dietary supplements, herbal remedies, tea beverages, and similar products
• Yoga

Hospice care

In cases in which breast cancer has progressed to an advanced stage and has become unresponsive to treatment, the goal of treatment shifts away from curing the disease and focuses on treating the person. The goal of hospice care is to help people in their last phases of an incurable disease to live as fully and comfortably as possible. Hospice care involves medically controlling pain and other symptoms while providing psychological and spiritual support as well as services to support the patient’s family.