Once your
doctor knows you have Breast Cancer, the next step is to determine what type of treatment is best for you. The first
treatment you get (called "initial therapy") may be different for you than for someone else you know with
Breast Cancer. Along the way, you may need to have different kinds of treatment, such as surgery, chemotherapy or
radiation treatments
The results of your
pathology report help your doctor know what Grade of cells you have and what
stage your Breast
Cancer has reached. Taken together, this information helps guide your doctor toward a treatment plan. But often there
are many
treatment options available, and you should discuss each of them with your doctor.
Surgery
Surgery to remove the tumor from inside your breast is the most common first treatment for breast cancer. When possible,
doctors try to perform a "lumpectomy." This means they remove only the tissue with cancer cells in it, and the area
right around it. Sometimes a "mastectomy" is required.
That means the cancer has spread within the entire breast so much that most if not all of it must be removed. Mastectomy
can be traumatic, but sometimes it is the only option to preserve your health. Luckily, reconstructive surgery can be an
option for many patients who undergo a mastectomy. The goal of reconstructive plastic surgery is to get the patient's
two breasts back to looking the same again. Plastic surgery can be used to replace skin, breast tissue, and/or the nipple
removed during mastectomy. It may be a good idea to talk to a plastic surgeon before you have a mastectomy.
Adjuvant Therapy
The word adjuvant [ADD-joo-vent] means "to help reach a goal." And adjuvant therapy is just that. It's the idea of using
chemotherapy, additional radiation, or hormones to destroy cancer cells after the first approach to treatment. This means
any cells that were not removed by surgery or destroyed by radiation treatment originally. The goal is to lower the risk
of the cancer coming back. That's why adjuvant therapy is sometimes referred to as an "insurance policy."
Some patients require adjuvant therapy, while others do not. Only your healthcare team can tell you if it is needed to
treat your condition. To learn more about adjuvant therapy,
download The Patient's Guide to Adjuvant Therapy brochure.
Chemotherapy
Most people have heard of chemotherapy. It's the use of powerful chemicals to kill cancer cells. Scientists have been
working hard to design chemotherapy so that it "targets" only cancer cells. And there have been great improvements over
the years. But even the most advanced chemotherapy drugs still affect normal cells as well as cancer cells.
Chemotherapy is a form of "systemic" therapy. That means it enters the blood, travels through the body, and kills cancer
cells no matter where they are. Chemotherapy is typically used as a type of adjuvant therapy to treat Breast Cancer. It
is also used to shrink tumors or relieve symptoms in patients with metastatic Breast Cancer. This is called palliative
chemotherapy, and it is meant to improve a patient's quality of life while they're living with advanced cancer.
There are many options for chemotherapy treatment. Chemotherapies can be given by pill, IV injection, or catheter
(a tube hooked directly into a blood vessel). If you need chemotherapy during the course of treatment, it's a good
idea to learn about the different ways it can be given. Be sure to find out more about XELODA, an oral chemotherapy
that's
proven effective in treating metastatic Breast Cancer.
Radiation Therapy
Radiation therapy kills cancer cells by using high-energy rays pointed at the affected area. It prevents cancer cells
from continuing to grow and divide. Radiation therapy is also known as "brachytherapy" [BRAY-kee-ther-ah-py]. It can be
used as an adjuvant therapy to kill cancer cells not seen during surgery. It may also be used to shrink the tumor and
ease symptoms of advanced cancer. Radiation therapy is often used along with chemotherapy to treat cancer.
Hormone Therapy
Hormone therapy is a catch-all category that includes several different kinds of drugs and treatments. But they all have
the same goal: to help prevent the growth or spread of Breast Cancer and to keep it from returning. Hormones are the
body's own natural chemicals that have to do with cell growth (among other things). Hormone therapy may mean the use
of drugs to change the way your body's own hormones work. The idea is to block your body's natural hormones from reaching
cancer cells. But hormone therapy can also mean surgical removal of the ovaries. This is done to prevent natural hormones
from being released that give cells (even cancer cells) instructions to grow and divide.
Biological Therapy
Biological therapy is the use of substances that have an effect on the body's immune system. These are used to
repair, stimulate, or increase the body's natural ability to fight infections and cancer.
For more information about treatment options, download the free
"A Patient's Guide to Understanding Breast Cancer"
brochure.