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:
One of the first things many of you probably did when you were diagnosed with breast cancer was to turn on your computer, connect to the... Read more »
When you hear the words “breast cancer,” what’s your first impression (besides dread)? Do you picture your mother, sister, or... Read more »
In my previous two posts on understanding your pathology report, we covered histology, margin status, grade, as well as size, lymph node... Read more »
I have Stage 4 breast cancer. However, I am also in clinical remission, with no sign of cancer in my liver (which was once riddled with... Read more »
Many of you may have read Natalia Hernandez's recent post about Medicaid dropping her insurance coverage in the middle of radiation... Read more »
My technician recently told me, just before sending me gliding through an MRI tube, that MRI scans were once an uncommon breast exam. He performed... Read more »
Q. I’ve heard of women with DCIS and IDC, but I just found out I have ILC. What’s that?A. ILC–infiltrating lobular carcinoma–is similar to... Read more »
Before you start reading, take this helpful quiz on infiltrating/invasive ductal carcinoma as a preview to this FAQ. Q. I’ve learned I have IDC,... Read more »
Source: Breastcancer.org
Normal CellsLarger Version Breast cancer usually begins either in the cells of the lobules, which are milk-producing glands, or the ducts, the... Read more »
Source: Breastcancer.org
Stage is usually expressed as a number on a scale of 0 through IV — with stage 0 describing non-invasive cancers that remain within their original... Read more »