Breast Cancer
| Causes & symptoms | The Diagnosis | Questions | 
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Types Of Treatment
The treatment of breast cancer depends on many factors, including:
The stage of the disease
Your age
Whether or not you have had menopause
The size of the tumour
What the cancer cells look like under the microscope
General health condition
Patient's choice
Four main types of treatment
Surgery
Radiotherapy
Chemotherapy
Hormonal therapy
- Surgery
The most appropriate type of surgery will depend on the size and whether the cancer has spread or not.- Lumpectomy
This is the removal of the breast lump together with some surrounding tissue. It removes the least amount of breast tissue. - Segmentectomy (wide local excision)
This is similar to a lumpectomy but it involves removing more breast tissue and it may be more noticeable. - Mastectomy
Removal of the whole breast (mastectomy) may be necessary because:- The breast lump is large
- A small cancer is surrounded by a large area of ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS)
- There are several areas of cancer cells in different parts of the breast
- The lump is just behind the nipple
- Lymph gland removal
As part of any operation for breast cancer the surgeon will usually remove lymph glands from under your arm on the same side of the body. - Breast reconstruction
It is often possible for women who have had a mastectomy to have breast reconstruction. Sometimes this can be done at the same time as the mastectomy, but often it is done some months, or even years after the original operation.
- Lumpectomy
- Radiotherapy
Radiotherapy treats cancer by using high energy rays to destroy the cancer cells, while doing as little harm as possible to normal cells. Two main types of radiotherapy are used to treat breast cancer: external radiotherapy and internal radiotherapy - Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy is the use of anti-cancer (cytotoxic) drugs to destroy cancer cells. They work by disrupting the growth and division of cancer cells. The drugs are sometimes given orally or, more usually intravenously (by injection into a vein).
Chemotherapy is given as a course of treatment. This is followed by a rest period of a few weeks, which allows your body to recover from any side effects of the treatment.
Many people experience few side effects, and any that do occur can usually be well controlled with medication. - Hormonal therapy
Hormonal therapies can slow or stop the growth of breast cancer cells by altering the levels of particular female hormones which are naturally produced in the body, preventing the hormones from being taken up by the cancer cells.
