Breast Cancer Treatments
There are many treatments available for
breast cancer, however, it depend with the seriousness of your
breast cancer for each particular cases and often get more than one
kind of treatment. These treatments include
surgery treatment,
radiation therapy,
chemotherapy,
hormone therapy and
biological therapy.
Your doctor can describe your treatment
choices, the expected results and how the treatment may change your
normal activities.
Common side effects of cancer treatments
are damages to healthy cells and tissues, it depend mainly on the
type and extent of treatment. The side effect may not be the same
for each women and it may change from one session to the other.
Your health care team will explain all
possible side effects and suggest ways to help you manage them. It's
best to bring along your partner during counseling session, to help
him in preparation to support you go thru your struggling time
during or after treatment, and to ease emotional concerns.
Surgery Treatment
Surgery is the most common treatment for breast cancer during early
stage. An operation where doctors will cut and remove cancer tissue.
Breast-sparing surgery only remove the cancer tumor which is also
known as breast-conserving surgery, lumpectomy, segmental mastectomy
and partial mastectomy. After the operation, most women receive
radiation therapy to the breast which is to destroys minor cancer
cells that may remain in the breast.
Mastectomy is an operation to remove the
breast, much of the breast tissue as possible. In most cases, the
surgeon also removes lymph nodes under the arm. Radiation therapy is
apply to some women as well with the same objective to destroys
minor cancer cells.
Radiation Therapy
Radiation therapy also
known as radiotherapy uses high energy rays to kill cancer cells.
The rays are aimed at the part of the body where the cancer cell is
located. Doctors use this method when the tumor is large or may be
hard to remove.
Common skin problems in the treated area
are red, dry, tender and itchy. Sometime the breast may feel heavy
and tight. These problems will go away over time, when nearing the
end of treatment, your breast skin may become moist. Exposing this
area to air as much as possible can help heal your skin. Bras and
some cloth may rub your skin and cause soreness.
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy for breast cancer uses anticancer drug to kill cancer
cells. It's either in the form of pill or by injection into a vein.
The anticancer drug enter the bloodstream and travel throughout the
body. Treatment can be taken in as an outpatient part from hospital,
a the doctor's office or at home. Some women may need to stay in
hospital during treatment.
Several drugs used for breast cancer may
cause tingling or numbness in the hands or feet, lucky enough it
usually goes away after treatment is over. Some women may feel her
heart is weaker after taking those anticancer drugs, worst, it may
damage the ovaries.
Once ovaries is damage, it may stop
making hormones, thus, you may have menopause symptoms. In contrast,
you may remain fertile during chemotherapy and be able to become
pregnant. The effects of chemotherapy on an unborn child are not
known, getting advice from your doctor on birth control may be a
good idea.
Hormone Therapy
Hormone therapy is used against breast tumors that required hormones
to spread and grow. This treatment help keep cancer cells from
getting the natural hormones it need to grow. With lab tests, it can
show if a breast tumor has hormone receptors, these hormones are
estrogen and progesterone.
Drugs like tamoxifen was one of the
options used for treatment. Tamoxifen is a type of antiestrogen, it
blocks the effects of estrogen in the breast. Beside drug, patient
can opt for surgery, if you have not gone through menopause, you may
undergo surgery to remove your ovaries. Ovaries are the main source
of the body's estrogen. Woman who has gone through menopause does
not need surgery as ovaries produce less estrogen after menopause.
Drug treatment will bring side effects,
in this case of tamoxifen, the side effects are similar to some of
menopause symptoms. Most common side effect are hot flashes and
vaginal discharge, others may include irregular menstrual periods,
headaches, fatigue, nausea. vomiting, vaginal dryness or itching and
skin rash.
Tamoxifen may harm unborn baby if you
are pregnant, it may also cause blood clots in the veins of your
legs and lungs and a slight increase in the risk of stroke.
Full details about tamoxifen drug can be
found here.
Biological
Therapy
Biological therapy may sound alike to chemotherapy, both are
treatments to fight cancer. However, both work in different ways.
Chemotherapy attacks the cancer cells directly while biological
therapy help the immune system fight cancer. It's the body's natural
defense against breast cancer. Women with breast cancer that has
spread receive a biological therapy called Herceptin®
(trastuzumab). Herceptin is given to women whose lab tests show that
a breast tumor has too much of a specific protein known as HER2. By
blocking HER2, it can slow or stop the growth of the cancer cells.
Herceptin for first time woman may
suffer side effects like fever and chills. Some may also encounter
pain, weakness, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, headaches, rashes and
breathing difficulty. Herceptin may cause heart damage, which can
lead to heart failure. It can also affects the lungs. Inform your
doctor if you have those conditions before undergoing treatment.
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