Which treatments are used is determined by which stage the cancer is in as well as where it is located and how big the tumor is found to be. Treatments for breast cancer are: chemotherapy, hormone therapy, radiation therapy, lumpectomy, mastectomy and lymphatic tissue removal.
Stage 0
At stage 0, a blockage is found in the mammary or the ducts in the mammary. The first type, lobular carcinoma, is not yet deadly and usually the doctor will keep an eye on it by having the patient come in for frequent visits. Even with early cancer, the very fact that a tumor has formed in one breast makes the risk for cancer in the other much higher. Recently, many women have found it more acceptable to have a double mastectomy than to wait and find out if they will have cancer in the other breast and how far it will go. Ductal carcinoma is usually removed and the surgery is followed with other forms of treatment. Breast removal is an option with ductal carcinoma, too.
The Middle to Late Stages
In these stages, women are often treated with chemo, radiation and hormones before surgery is attempted. If the cancer is larger and is spreading quickly, a mastectomy is done followed with the removal of the lymph nodes in the axillary area. Radiation, chemotherapy and hormone therapies are used after this major surgery.
A woman can and often does choose to try chemotherapy for a while before surgery. If the tumor shrinks, she may only have to have the lump removed rather than have a mastectomy.
After a lumpectomy or a mastectomy, radiation therapy is most often undergone to kill any remaining cancer and increase a woman’s chance of survival.
If the cancer has spread to the lymph nodes, full mastectomies and lymph tissue removal is performed.
The Last Stage of Cancer
In the fourth stage, it is too late to operate with any success. A woman may be treated with radiation, hormones and chemotherapy to allow her to live a while longer. Many women don’t have these therapies and instead choose to be given supportive care. Supportive care offers pain management and stress therapies for a woman who is dying. Nothing is done to prolong her life but instead, the focus is on the quality of her life in the short time she has to live.
If the cancer is treated and reoccurs or if some of the cancer is missed, a mastectomy and lymph tissue removal is followed by therapies if the cancer has not reached the last stage. Otherwise, supportive care is recommended.
While women are the majority when it comes to having breast cancer, a small percentage of men have been known to get it as well. The treatment is much the same for them.
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