Breast cancer is type of cancer which can be treated successfully if we know how to treat it? Awareness is necessary in this regard and patient must know about stages of cancer which he or she is, and what treatment will he or she will be requiring.
Standard treatments include surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, hormone therapy and targeted therapy. Each of these treatments is designed to fight different stages and conditions of cancer.
Surgery is opted for patients in order to get clear picture of cancer cells and remove them from the body. Cancer cells, tissues and lymph nodes are examined under microscope. After doing examination next stage is to perform breast conserving surgery, total mastectomy, or modified radical mastectomy.
Breast conserving surgery involves removal of cancer from the breast without removing breast. Numbers of different surgeries take place under this surgery like.
Lumpectomy involves removal of lump from the breast. Lump is tumor formed due to cancer cells. Along with cancer some adjacent tissues normal cells also get removed.
Partial Mastectomy involves removal of some part of breast containing cancer and some tissues adjacent to cancer cells.
Total Mastectomy is procedure opted to remove whole breast infected by cancer. Some of the lymph nodes also get removed as a result of this surgery for biopsy.
Modified radical mastectomy is surgery which has boundary somewhat larger than the previous surgeries. It can range from removing whole breast to lymph nodes, chest muscles and even chest wall.
There are many other new techniques which are being researched in order to improve and update surgery.
Radiation Therapy is therapy opted to treat cancer cells by using radiations. As name indicates this treatment involves radiations such as x-rays or laser treatment to remove cancer cells and tissues from the breast. There are two radiation therapy treatments.
External Therapy which is used to treat cancer by using machines. Machine transfer x-rays and radiations into the body and toward the cells affected by cancer.
Internal Therapy which involves planting radio-active substance into the body near the cancer affected area.
Use of either external or internal therapy varies with stage of cancer.
Chemotherapy involves use of drugs to treat and remove this disease. Chemo can be done by taking medicines and drugs by mouth. In this way drug itself reaches the cancer affected area and start treating it. Other way is to perform chemo directly on breast to treat directly to the cancer cells.
Hormone therapy involves stopping growth of cancer cells and performing treatment to hormones. Hormones are present in bloodstream and treatment to the hormones helps reduction in production of new cancer cells.
Targeted therapy uses the technique of find and kill. The therapy performed to attack certain cells which are affected by cancer. Treatment doesn't attack any normal cells and hence don't harm any normal cells or tissues.
Treatment opted for breast cancer depends upon the severity of cancer and timing of its discovery. At any stage it is necessary to ask for your doctor before getting any treatment.
