Breast Cancer ( Treatment )

Ask Glen!

Q. What are some of the Treatments for Breast Cancer?

A.Treatment for breast cancer usually begins with a decision about the type of surgery. The two options are removing the entire breast (mastectomy) or removing only the cancerous lump and a small amount of healthy tissue around it (lumpectomy). After surgery, your doctor may recommend radiation therapy, chemotherapy, hormonal therapy or a combination of therapies. Additional therapies decrease the risk of cancer returning or spreading.

Radiation therapy usually is recommended after a lumpectomy to destroy any cancer cells left behind and to prevent the cancer from returning. Without radiation therapy, the odds of the cancer returning increase by about 25%.

The need for chemotherapy depends on how much the cancer has spread. In some cases, chemotherapy is recommended before surgery to shrink a large tumor so that it can be removed more easily. Chemotherapy is usually necessary if cancer returns. A form of chemotherapy called hormonal chemotherapy usually is recommended when the pathology report shows that the cancer is estrogen-receptor positive. In hormonal chemotherapy, the drug used most often is tamoxifen (Nolvadex). Tamoxifen locks estrogen out of breast cancer cells that are estrogen-receptor positive, which may reduce the cancer recurrence rate by up to 30%.

Medicines called aromatase inhibitors are another form of hormonal therapy. These drugs include anastrazole (Arimidex), exemestane (Aromasin) and letrozole (Femara). They decrease the amount of estrogen in the body by blocking estrogen production in all other tissues except the ovaries. These drugs are most useful in menopausal women, because the ovaries stop making estrogen after menopause.

Treatment for DCIS is a lumpectomy usually followed by radiation therapy or simple mastectomy with the removal of a limited number of lymph nodes. A mastectomy may be recommended if DCIS occurs in more than one location or if the tumor cells look especially worrisome on biopsy.

Though mastectomies are sometimes still used to treat DCIS, a lumpectomy with radiation is also commonly used. In some women, a lumpectomy without radiation may be effective.

LCIS doesn't lead to cancer so no treatment is required. However, women with this condition are more likely to develop cancer in other areas of their breasts, so they should have regular mammograms and breast exams by a doctor. To decrease breast cancer risk, some women use hormonal therapy, such as tamoxifen.

Any personal health questions or problems mental or physical or before starting any diet or exercise program.Please consult your physician !
Wishing You Great Health!

Glen Edward Mitchell

Any questions? Ask Glen