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Breast
Cancer Treatment
Breast Cancer may occur
at any age, so treatments are done to prevent the cancer from
spreading to other parts of the body. Breast cancer is sometimes no
longer curable because of the matured cancer cells that have spread
all through out. In this article, breast cancer treatment has two
major goals. One of which is to protect or prevent the body from
cancer cells as possible; the second is to protect prevent the
cancer from coming back to the body.
The treatment that will
be recommended by the doctor will be based on the patient’s
examination. These are the lab tests results that are on the cancer
cells and the level of the breast disorder. Treatment will depend on
tumor size and location in the breast. The doctor will also consider
the age of the patient, their general health, and the patient’s
feeling about the treatment.
It is really necessary to
discuss treatment options with a cancer specialist. There are
actually different types of treatments for breast cancer. Treatments
can be off local or systematic. The treatments used to remove,
destroy, or to control the cancer cells in a particular area are
known as local treatments - and this includes surgery.
The surgery may either be
mastectomy or lumpectomy (which is also the breast conserving
therapy or the partial mastectomy with or without lymph node
removal).
Then there is the
systematic treatments. These are used to destroy and control the
cancer cells to prevent spreading all through the body. This
includes chemotherapy. This kind of treatment uses drugs to kill the
cancer cells. The side effects include hair loss, nausea, early
menopause, hot flashes, fatigue and the temporary lowering of blood
counts.
Another is Hormone
therapy. This includes the tamoxifen, the aromatase inhibitors
arimidex, and the aromasin and femara. This kind of therapy also
uses drugs to prevent the growth promotions of the cancer cells.
These cells may actually remain after the surgery is done, and the
side effects may be dryness of vagina and hot flashes.
Another option is
biological therapy like Herceptin. This therapy works with the use
of the body’s immune system in destroying the cancer cells, and
targets breast cancer cells that have high levels of protein (known
to be HER2).
Before or after the local
treatments, the systematic treatments can be done. After the local
treatments, the adjuvant therapy is done in order to kill the
remaining cancer cells in the body. It depends upon the needs of a
patient whether she will have one form of treatment done or a
combination of treatments.
In choosing a breast
cancer treatment, discuss with your doctor the risks and the
benefits of the options and how they relate to your lifestyle.
Consider joining a support group as they can really help with
emotional issues surrounding your diagnosis and in your chosen
therapy. Another possibility is asking your doctor about
participating in a clinical trial.
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