Many breast cancer treatment options include surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, hormone therapy, immunotherapy, and targeted drug therapy. The correct treatment for you depends on several factors, including the location and size of the tumor. Your treatment option may also be depicted by the breast cancer test results determining the stage of your cancer. You can also undergo a genetic test for breast cancer for early diagnosis. Your healthcare provider will recommend your treatment options according to your specific needs. Your doctor may also recommend you get a combination of treatment options.
Breast cancer treatment options:
Removal Of Cancer Cells
Breast cancer surgery may involve removing the cancerous part of your breast and a portion of the normal tissue surrounding it. Breast cancer surgery has many different types, including, Lumpectomy—mastectomy, sentinel node biopsy, axillary lymph node dissection, modified radical mastectomy, and radical mastectomy.
Chemotherapy for breast cancer
You may be advised to get chemotherapy done before going in for the surgery option to shrink the size of the tumor; it may also be recommended after the surgery is performed to eradicate any other cancer cells and the risk of recurrence, if your cancer has spread out in other parts of the body, then chemotherapy as your primary method of treatment.
Radiation therapy
Radiation therapy for breast cancer is often given after a lumpectomy or mastectomy to kill any cancer cells left in the body; doctors can also use this method to treat individual metastatic tumors that are the primary cause of pain or cause any other problems.
Hormone therapy
Some branches of breast cancer use hormones like estrogen and progesterone to grow; in such cases, hormone therapy is provided as it helps in lowering estrogen levels or helps in preventing estrogen from attaching the breast cancer cells. Hormone therapy is also suggested to reduce breast cancer risk from returning. In addition, Your healthcare provider may also suggest hormone therapy before surgery to reduce the size of the tumor spearheaded in other parts of the body.
Immunotherapy
This method uses the strength of your existing immune system to target and kill the breast cancer cells; this treatment is given intravenously through a vein in the arm. Immunotherapy is given alongside chemotherapy and offered as a combination.
Targeted drug therapy
Some drugs specifically target the cells that cause cancer. You may be recommended targeted drug therapy when breast cancer has spread to other parts of the body. Most of these drugs have the element of monoclonal antibodies.
Conclusion:
You can not prevent breast cancer altogether but take specific steps to reduce the risks of you having breast cancer; for instance, get regular mammograms after the age of forty, the baseline test is recommended at the age of thirty-five. Do self-examinations every month and look for any differences or changes in your breasts. It’s best to get examined by your healthcare provider after every three years starting from the age of twenty. It is proven that clinical exams may detect lumps that mammograms cannot detect. Ask all the questions you might think from your physician.
