Breast cancer treatment

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Breast cancer treatment depends on the type and stage of the disease, it is also determined by the patient's age and overall health. It may be classed as radical - aiming to cure or palliative - aiming to control symptoms. Breast cancer treatment options often in combination include:-

• Surgery (lumpectomy, mastectomy, lymph node dissection)  - refers to a surgical removal of a tumour, either a part or the entire breast tissue is removed, sometimes including the lymph nodes as well.

• Radiotherapy - involves a localised treatment (chest area) which usually follows after the surgery to make sure any  malignant cells that may be left in the area are destroyed.

• Chemotherapy - a therapy using anticancer drugs that aim to stop the growth of malignant cells either by destroying them or by stopping them from further dividing.

• Hormone therapy - a therapy affecting the function of particular hormones and hormone receptors in order to stop malignant cells from growing.

• Immunotherapy - therapy based on the body's own defense system (immune system) to fight the disease, includes a drug called Herceptin

Further general information Your doctors and specialist nurses are in an ideal position to give you relevant information on your disease and treatment as they know your individual circumstances. Cancerbackup has a help line (0808 800 1234) and a prize winning video available in English, Italian, Urdu, Bengali, Gujarati & Hindi explaining Radiotherapy & Chemotherapy. Cancernet.co.uk has over 500 pages describing cancer, its management, practical tips and tool which patients, their carers and their doctors have found helpful during the cancer journey.