here are many options for breast cancer treatment and you may feel overwhelmed as you make complex decisions about your treatment. Consider seeking a second opinion from a breast specialist in a breast center or clinic. Talk to other women who have faced the same decision.
Breast cancer surgery
Operations used to treat breast cancer include:
* Removing the breast cancer (lumpectomy). During lumpectomy, the surgeon removes the tumor and a small margin of surrounding healthy tissue. Lumpectomy is typically reserved for smaller tumors that are easily separated from the surrounding tissue.
* Removing the entire breast (mastectomy). Mastectomy is surgery to remove all of your breast tissue. Mastectomy can be simple, meaning the surgeon removes all of the breast tissue — the lobules, ducts, fatty tissue and skin, including the nipple and areola. Or mastectomy can be radical, meaning the underlying muscle of the chest wall is removed along with surrounding lymph nodes in the armpit.
* Removing one lymph node (sentinel node biopsy). Breast cancer that spreads to the lymph nodes may spread to other areas of the body. Your surgeon determines which lymph node near your breast tumor receives the lymph drainage from your cancer. This lymph node is removed and tested for breast cancer cells. If no cancer is found, the chance of finding cancer in any of the remaining nodes is small and no other nodes need to be removed.
* Removing several lymph nodes (axillary lymph node dissection). If cancer is found in the sentinel node, then your surgeon removes additional lymph nodes in your armpit. Knowing if cancer has spread to the lymph nodes helps determine the best course of treatment, including whether you'll need chemotherapy or radiation therapy.
Complications of breast cancer surgery depend on the procedures you choose. Surgery carries a risk of bleeding and infection. Surgery to remove your lymph nodes increases your risk of arm swelling (lymphedema).
Some women choose to have breast reconstruction after surgery. Discuss your options and preferences with your surgeon. Consider a referral to a plastic surgeon before your breast cancer surgery. Your options may include reconstruction with a synthetic breast implant or reconstruction using your own tissue. These operations can be performed at the time of your mastectomy or at a later date.
Radiation therapy
Radiation therapy uses high-powered beams of energy, such as X-rays, to kill cancer cells. Radiation therapy is typically done using a large machine that aims the energy beams at your body (external beam radiation). But radiation can also be done by placing radioactive material inside your body (brachytherapy).
External beam radiation is commonly used after lumpectomy for early-stage breast cancer. Doctors may also recommend radiation therapy after mastectomy for larger breast cancers.
Side effects of radiation therapy include fatigue and a red, sunburn-like rash where the radiation is aimed. Breast tissue may also appear swollen or more firm. Rarely, more serious problems may occur, including arm swelling (lymphedema), broken ribs and damage to the lungs or nerves.
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy uses drugs to destroy cancer cells. If your cancer has a high chance of returning or spreading to another part of your body, your doctor may recommend chemotherapy after surgery to decrease the chance that the cancer will recur. This is known as adjuvant systemic chemotherapy.
Chemotherapy is sometimes given before surgery in women with larger breast tumors. Doctors call this neoadjuvant chemotherapy. The goal is to shrink a tumor to a size that makes it easier to remove with surgery. This may also increase the chance of a cure. Research is ongoing into neoadjuvant chemotherapy to determine who may benefit from this treatment.
Chemotherapy is also used in women whose cancer has already spread to other parts of the body. Chemotherapy may be recommended to try to control the cancer and decrease any symptoms the cancer is causing.
Chemotherapy side effects depend on the drugs you receive. Common side effects include hair loss, nausea, vomiting, fever and frequent infections.
Hormone therapy
Hormone therapy — perhaps more properly termed hormone blocking therapy — is often used to treat breast cancers that are sensitive to hormones. Doctors sometimes refer to these cancers as estrogen and progesterone receptor positive cancers.
Hormone therapy can be used after surgery or other treatments to decrease the chance of your cancer returning. If the cancer has already spread, hormone therapy may shrink and control it.
Treatments that can be used in hormone therapy include:
* Medications that block hormones from attaching to cancer cells. Tamoxifen is a type of drug called a selective estrogen receptor modulator (SERM). SERMs act by blocking any estrogen present in the body from attaching to the estrogen receptor on the cancer cells, slowing the growth of tumors and killing tumor cells. Tamoxifen can be used in both pre- and postmenopausal women.
* Medications that stop the body from making estrogen after menopause. Called aromatase inhibitors, these drugs block the action of an enzyme that converts androgens in the body into estrogen. These drugs are effective only in postmenopausal women. Aromatase inhibitors include anastrozole (Arimidex), letrozole (Femara) and exemestane (Aromasin).
* Surgery or medications to stop hormone production in the ovaries. In premenopausal women, surgery or medications can shutdown hormone production in the ovaries.
Side effects of hormone therapy vary according to which medication you receive, but typically include menopausal symptoms, such as hot flashes, vaginal dryness, decreased sex drive and mood changes. Side effects of aromatase inhibitors include joint and muscle pain, as well as an increased risk of bone thinning (osteoporosis).
Targeted drugs
Targeted drug treatments attack specific abnormalities within cancer cells. Targeted drugs approved to treat breast cancer include:
* Trastuzumab (Herceptin). Trastuzumab targets a protein called HER2 that helps some breast cancer cells grow and survive. If your breast cancer cells make too much HER2, trastuzumab may help block that protein and cause the cancer cells to die.
* Bevacizumab (Avastin). Bevacizumab is a drug designed to stop the signals cancer cells use to attract new blood vessels. Without new blood vessels to bring oxygen and nutrients to the tumor, the cancer cells die. Bevacizumab is approved for breast cancer that has spread to other areas of the body.
* Lapatinib (Tykerb). Lapatinib targets the HER2 protein and is approved for use in advanced breast cancer. Lapatinib is reserved for women who have already tried trastuzumab and their cancer has progressed.
Side effects of targeted drugs depend on the drug you receive. Targeted drugs can be very expensive and aren't always covered by health insurance.
Clinical trials
Clinical trials are used to test new and promising agents in the treatment of cancer. Clinical trials represent the cutting edge of cancer treatment, but they're often unproven treatments that may or may not be superior to currently available therapies. Talk with your doctor about clinical trials to see if one is right for you.
Examples of treatments being studied in breast cancer clinical trials include:
* New combinations of existing drugs. Researchers are studying new ways of combining existing chemotherapy, hormone therapy and targeted therapy drugs. Testing new combinations may help determine if certain breast cancers are more susceptible to specific combinations.
* Bone-building drugs to prevent breast cancer recurrence. In early 2009, a study reported adding a bone-building drug to hormone therapy treatment after surgery for premenopausal women reduced the risk of breast cancer recurrence. The drug used in the study, zoledronic acid (Reclast, Zometa), is a type of drug called a bisphosphonate that's used to treat bone loss (osteoporosis) and other bone diseases. The group of women who received zoledronic acid experienced fewer cancer recurrences than did the group that didn't receive the drug during the study, which lasted four years. Doctors are awaiting the results of other studies of zoledronic acid before widely recommending this treatment.
* Using higher doses of radiation over a shorter period of time on a smaller portion of the breast. Researchers are studying partial breast irradiation in women who've undergone lumpectomy. Partial breast irradiation involves higher doses of radiation aimed at only a portion of the breast, rather than the entire breast. Radiation used in partial breast irradiation can come from a machine outside your body or it can come from tubes or catheters placed within the breast tissue.
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