Breast cancer treatment options are now more advanced. Constant research has definitely helped a lot in giving cancer patients another life to live. Some of the treatments today include chemotherapy, hormonal treatment (anti-estrogen), radiation, and surgery. These treatments are usually used together depending on the extent of the disease.
It can be very confusing on your part to choose the best treatment option to cure your cancer and it would be best if you have a little knowledge about some of these procedures.
The treatments are categorized as follows:
1. Regional or local treatment - this treatment is only limited to the area where the tumor was found. It also included treating local or adjacent lymphatics. 2. Alternative treatments - there is still no proof that alternative treatments can cure cancer but many people are choosing this option. This usually includes holistic therapies and the use of natural medicines. 3. Systematic treatments - these treatments are focused in preventing metastases or if it has already occurred, the treatments are aimed at eliminating the spread.
Over the years, surgery has been the most popular treatment for cancer. Doctors today can now remove only the infected tissues and preserve those which are still intact. Radical mastectomy left patients with deformed breasts but today's mastectomy is not as drastic and is very much different. Lumpectomy is a therapy which conserves the most part of the breast which is not infected. In this method, only the tumor is removed. Radiation treatments are given afterwards to eliminate and cleanse the remaining tissues. The radiation can prevent recurrence.
In radiation therapy, gamma rays are used to target the cancerous cells. This method is often used after surgery because its main function is to prevent recurrence of breast cancer.
Another method is hormone therapy. Certain cancers develop when there is presence of estrogen. This therapy uses anti-estrogen hormones to lower the estrogen levels and prevent cancer cells from developing. Tamoxifen is the most common anti-estrogen drug used in the therapy. There are also aromatase inhibitors which can be used in the therapy.
Chemotherapy is also another method to treat breast cancer. Cancer varies from one individual to another. This method is given to patients with high grade, great tumor size, and affected lymph nodes. However, chemo is usually given together with surgery, radiation, and surgery.
These are the breast cancer treatment options available to patients. These conventional treatments are often lengthy and expensive. Some treatments require several sessions and so it can be very tiring and stressful. When undergoing a series of treatments, the individual can also undergo psychological therapy so that they can have a better outlook in life.
Breast cancer patients often find it hard to cope with their situation because they are dealing with a dreadful disease. In fact, there have been many cases of deaths due to breast cancer.
To be able to choose the best breast cancer treatment options, you have to know the differences between these treatments and the risks involved. The treatments work effectively when the cancer is detected immediately but advanced stages can still be cured although the survival rate is only 20%. By thorough examination, breast cancer can be detected early; after that, the right treatment can now be employed to get rid of the cancer cells.
