TreatmentS

Breast cancer treatments have come a long way in the past few generations. Get a general overview of treatment options for today’s breast cancer patients

Breast Cancer Surgery

Surgery is done to remove cancer while it's still in the breast. This article is a brief introduction to breast cancer surgery.

Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy is often used to cut the chances of cancer’s return (recurrence).

Chemotherapy and Breast Cancer: Detailed Information

This article provides in-depth information on breast cancer chemotherapy.

Radiation for Breast Cancer

Radiotherapy is given after surgery to the region of the tumor bed and regional lymph nodes, to destroy microscopic tumor cells that may have escaped surgery. It may also have a beneficial effect on tumor microenvironment.

Radiation can reduce the risk of recurrence by 50-66% (1/2 - 2/3 reduction of risk) when delivered in the correct dose and is considered essential when breast cancer is treated by removing only the lump (Lumpectomy or Wide local excision)

Radiation therapy is another way to help reduce the chance of cancer’s return.

Radiation therapy can be delivered as external beam radiotherapy or as brachytherapy (internal radiotherapy). Conventionally radiotherapy is given after the operation for breast cancer. Radiation can also be given at the time of operation on the breast cancer- intraoperatively.

The largest randomised trial to test this approach was the TAR-GIT-A Trial which found that targeted intraoperative radiotherapy was equally effective at 4-years as the usual several weeks' of whole breast external beam radiotherapy

Hormone Therapy

Hormone therapy may help curb the growth, spread, or recurrence of some types of breast cancer.

Hormone Therapy Drugs for Breast Cancer

Read about tamoxifen, aromatase inhibitors, and other hormonal treatments for breast cancer.

Hormone Therapy for Breast Cancer FAQs

Some (but not all) breast cancers are sensitive to hormones such as estrogen and progestin. Read about hormonal therapy for those types of breast cancer.

Biological Therapy for Breast Cancer

Herceptin is a type of biological therapy for breast cancer. Read about it in this article.