Treatment
Kinds of Treatment
Breast cancer is treated in several ways. It depends on the kind of breast
cancer and how far it has spread. Treatments include surgery, chemotherapy,
hormonal therapy, biologic therapy, and radiation. People with breast cancer
often get more than one kind of treatment.
- Surgery. An operation where doctors cut out and remove
cancer tissue.
- Chemotherapy. Using special medicines, or drugs to shrink
or kill the cancer. The drugs can be pills you take or medicines given through
an intravenous (IV) tube, or, sometimes, both.
- Hormonal therapy. Some cancers need certain hormones to
grow. Hormonal treatment is used to block cancer cells from getting the hormones
they need to grow.
- Biological therapy. This treatment works with your body's
immune system to help it fight cancer or to control side effects from other
cancer treatments. Side effects are how your body reacts to drugs or other
treatments. Biological therapy is different from chemotherapy, which attacks
cancer cells directly.
- Radiation. The use of high-energy rays (similar to X-rays)
to kill the cancer cells. The rays are aimed at the part of the body where the
cancer is located.
It is common for doctors from different specialties to work together in
treating breast cancer. Surgeons are doctors that perform operations. Medical
oncologists are doctors that treat cancers with medicines. Radiation oncologists
are doctors that treat cancers with radiation.
For more information, visit the National
Cancer Institute (NCI) - Breast Cancer Treatment Option Overview. This site
can also help you find
a doctor or treatment facility that works in cancer care.
Clinical Trials
If you have breast cancer, you may want to take part in a clinical trial.
Clinical trials are research studies that help find new treatment options. Visit
the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and National Institutes of Health (NIH)
sites listed below for more information about finding clinical trials.
Complementary and Alternative Medicine
Complementary medicine is a group of medicines and practices that may be used
in addition to the standard treatments for cancer. Alternative medicine means
practices or medicines that are used instead of the usual, or standard, ways of
treating cancer. Examples of complementary and alternative medicine are
meditation, yoga, and dietary supplements like vitamins and herbs.
Complementary and alternative medicine does not treat breast cancer, but may
help lessen the side effects of the cancer treatments or of the cancer symptoms.
It is important to note that many forms of complementary and alternative
medicines have not been scientifically tested and may not be safe. Talk to your
doctor before you start any kind of complementary or alternative medicine.
For more information about complementary and alternative medicine, visit the
National Cancer Institute's Guide to Complementary
and Alternative Therapies.
Which Treatment Is Right for Me?
Choosing which kind of treatment is right for you may be hard. If you have
breast cancer, be sure to talk to your doctor about the treatment options
available for your type and stage of cancer. Doctors can explain the risks and
benefits of each treatment and their side effects.
Sometimes people get an opinion from more than one breast cancer doctor. This
is called a "second opinion." Getting a second opinion may help you choose the
treatment option that is right for you.
Is it hard for you to talk to your doctor? Some people may find it difficult
to talk to their doctors. For helpful tips on talking with your health care
team, visit the National Cancer Institute's Your
Doctor Is Only the Beginning.
Date last reviewed: 09/28/2006
Content
source: Division of Cancer Prevention and
Control, National Center for Chronic
Disease Prevention and Health Promotion
