Breast Cancer Treatment

The good news is that breast cancer can be treated successfully. Treatments include surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, hormonal therapy, or any combination of these. Here's a closer look at each.

Surgery to remove as much of the cancer as possible is the main treatment for breast cancer. Today, women have many surgical options and choices.

Breast reconstruction surgery involves creating a breast mound that comes as close as possible to the form and appearance of the natural breast.

Whenever the normal drainage pattern in the lymph nodes is disturbed or damaged - often during surgery to remove the lymph nodes - the arm may swell. This swelling, caused by too much fluid, is called lymphedema.

Radiation therapy is a breast cancer treatment choice that often uses X-rays to kill cancer cells. There are several ways to give radiation therapy to the breast cancer cells.

For some types of breast cancer, hormones, such as estrogen and progesterone, can also cause breast cancer cells to grow. In these cases, hormone therapy is used to help prevent the growth, spread, and recurrence of breast cancer.

Clinical trials are studies managed by government agencies, educational institutions, private not-for-profit organizations, or commercial businesses. They develop and evaluate the effectiveness of new treatments and therapies for diseases.