The Treatment of Breast Cancer

Each case is unique.

The Treatment of Breast Cancer - To base their decision your doctor on the following points: the diagnosed type of cancer, the grade of the cancer (degree of malignancy), the stage of the cancer, the scientific evidence for the effectiveness of treatment for this type of cancer and your general health. Your doctors will ask for information to help them choose the appropriate treatment in your case.

You will be treated by a dedicated team that includes doctors, nurses and other specialists. Do not hesitate to any of these health professionals to focus if you need help.

To treat breast cancer, it does rely on surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, hormone therapy or a combination of one or several of these treatments.

A full mastectomy (mastectomy), if possible, be avoided and then opt for breast-conserving surgery (lumpectomy).

In all cases, the axiliary lymph nodes removed. The magnitude of this axillary surgery is also reduced, allowing for the complications can be reduced significantly and almost any risk of swelling of the arm is avoided.

The patient can thus lead a normal life and they may exercise. The need for a mastectomy is not related to the severity of the disease, but with the localization and extent of the cancer.

More and more, and in particular when small cancers are discovered, either after external detection, or, after detection by a mammography, the breast may be retained by the tumor to a large extent and to take away the treatment to be completed with radiotherapy. In that case there axillary nodes removed.

There is often a further medical treatment is given. Hormone therapy administered in the form of tablets is indicated for hormone-dependent cancers. This treatment is very well tolerated and has few side effects.

Chemotherapy may be necessary (if the glands are positive, or if the histological grade is high) for an average of six months, once or twice a month, or even every week injections. The well-known drawbacks, depending on the products used, in most cases can be prevented.

Radiotherapy is mainly in conservative surgery (kwadrantectomie or tumorectomie) used to improve local control at the level of the chest herein. Or to a better local control may be guaranteed at the height of the glandular zones, when the glands are positive.

When a mastectomy is necessary, one can often later consider breast reconstruction by plastic surgery.(source: onconet.be - The Treatment of Breast Cancer)