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Breast Cancer Treatment Options

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If breast cancer is diagnosed at an early enough stage, it's treatable. There are a number of different treatments doctors recommend. Of course, your specialist is the main person whose advice you should follow but it doesn't do anyone harm to learn a little about the treatments on offer so you?re able to discuss them in a more informed way with your doctor. The stage at which it's found, whether you're pre or post menopause, along with other factors dictate the best course of action for you but let's take a look at some of the treatments out there.

Surgery

Ridding the body of cancer and preventing it returning are the reasons for surgery. If surgery is the best course of action, the size of your tumor and how far it's spread will determine what type of surgery you have. You may need a mastectomy to remove the whole breast or surgery to remove the tumor and the tissue around it. If the tumor has "receptors" for HER2 protein, estrogen, and progesterone, then the surgeon will also have to take that into consideration.

Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy aims to cure and then control cancer. Cancer cells can be destroyed with therapy, although there's no guarantee that it will work so doctors tend to use the term "curative intent" rather than cure. After treatment, it takes many years before a doctor will confirm that cancer has been treated. Chemo can shrink tumors and stop cancer from spreading which makes patients feel better and live longer lives. Chemo is also be used to ease symptoms in patients so there's also a palliative element to it.

Clinical Trials

You will have heard of clinical trials but are you aware of the possible benefits? These carefully controlled research studies allow promising new procedures and treatments to be tested. Trials are one way for you to get yourself into a state-of-the-art treatment center, and for some, this is the only way to get access to the latest treatments. If this interests you, begin by asking your doctor if the hospital or clinic runs clinical trials and whether you'd benefit from them.

Alternative Treatments

Alternative treatments can include traditional Chinese medicine like acupuncture, tai chi, and massage. These are said to unblock internal energy lines that run through your body. What about Ayurvedic medicine from India? This aims to harmonize spirit, body, and mind through food, meditation, and massage. There are also a series of indigenous healing methods from cultural groups as diverse as Native Americans, South Americans, and Hawaiians. These treatments work for some people but they're not likely to feature among the list of recommendations from your oncologist.

In Conclusion

Remember at every stage this is your body and you have the choice. Don't feel railroading into treatment so take your time, ask questions and seek advice. Make sure you understand the possible risks and side effects and weigh up the benefits of each treatment before committing to them. You can consider alternative or complementary methods of treatment too, and be prepared to tackle this head-on, and never feel like you're alone on this. Why not contact the American Cancer Society if you'd like to speak to someone other than a medical professional?