The three major treatments of breast cancer are surgery, radiation, and drug therapy. No one treatment fits every patient, and combination therapy is usually required. The choice is determined by many factors, including the age of the patient, menopausal status, the kind of cancer (ductal verses lobular), its stage, and whether or not the tumor contains hormone receptors.
Breast cancer treatments are defined as local or systemic:
Ah, those lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer… I don’t know about you, but while summer is often crazy and hazy, it’s seldom lazy! When... Read more »
"Has it spread?" Women with breast cancer wait in fear for the answer to this question when they are first diagnosed and for years... Read more »
Will joining a support group, or getting psychotherapy, help prolong your life as a breast cancer survivor? Yes, said Dr. David... Read more »
The Halo system, a procedure whose results can be used to assess risk for breast cancer, was approved by the FDA in 2005. It was introduced... Read more »
It's November 1, and the table near my front door holds a big bowl of left-over Halloween Milky Ways and candy corn.If you have cancer, you... Read more »
Q. I had breast cancer in the past, and I’m really scared of it coming back. What can you tell me about recurrent breast cancer?A. Recur... Read more »
Background Inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) is a relatively rare type of breast cancer grows in the lymph vessels of the skin of the breast. Because... Read more »
Q. What with all the side effects I had during chemotherapy, I really wasn’t in the mood for sex very often. And now that I’m done with chemo,... Read more »
Breast Cancer Comics: TRAM Flap Four Square Q. Where do they take the tissue from for autologous breast reconstruction? Do I have a choice? A. Fat... Read more »
Breast Cancer Comics: LAT Flap Four Square Q. What does breast reconstruction “flap” refer to? A. The most common method of rebuilding a breast... Read more »