Four main types of treatment involving breast cancer are possible options for all women. Of course determining which form of treatment is right for you come from discussions with your medical physician. The four main treatments for all women to consider are the following.

Most obvious is one of many surgical procedures

Second option for a form of treatment is chemotherapy

Third option for a form of treatment is radiation therapy

Forth option for a form of treatment is hormonal therapy

Discussions with your medical physician will help to determine which form of treatment is right for your need. Surgery unfortunately is the first line of defense to eradicate breast cancer. Only by discussing this issue with your medical physician will you and your doctor come to an agreement on the type of surgery that is most beneficial. A few of the more typical surgeries for breast cancer are:

Lumpectomy and Mastectomy

Lymph node removal and sentinel lymph node dissection

Breast reconstruction and prophylactic mastectomy

Prophylactic ovary removal, but only in extreme emergencies

Chemotherapy treatment is another road for the medical physician and the patient to travel when necessary. The treatment utilizes medication to destroy and weaken the cancer cells remaining within the body. This will include cells at the original site, in this case the breast and lymph nodes, and any cancer cells that may spread to another part of the woman’s body. This is a systemic type of therapy that affects the entire body because it flows through the bloodstream. Chemotherapy is for the treatment of:

First stages of invasive breast cancer to eradicate the cancer cells

Reduce the risk of cancer from returning

Advanced stages of breast cancer to damage existing cancer cells

Chemotherapy medication treatment is in combination of two or three other known medications at the same time. This is a very aggressive treatment regiment, but in many cases the end does justify the means. This works best with the early diagnosis of breast cancer as it can eradicate the cancer cells before they have an opportunity to travel through the woman’s body. However, most patients receive chemotherapy after surgery as opposed to before surgery.

Radiation therapy is a more precise treatment as it is highly targeted. This is a very effective way to destroy breast cancer cells often found even after surgery. Today the statistics record very promising outcomes compared with years ago when most women died from a diagnosis of breast cancer. Today the rate of recurrence stands at seventy percent survival which is a very high accuracy rate. Today there are two methods of treatment for the delivery of radiation to the breast tissues.

Linear accelerator delivers radiation from outside the body

Seeds, pellets are materials giving off radiation from inside the body

Radiation therapy does damage cells in the path of the beam and this includes the good cells. The difference is the good cells will repair themselves over time while the cancer cells will shrink and die off. Cancer cells on average are very unorganized cells and perhaps that is why they can spread throughout the body so easily.

Hormonal therapy works differently than many other therapies. Hormonal therapy works against the hormone receptor in breast cancer. The hormonal therapeutic medications are treatments to fight breast cancer in a couple of ways.

Lowering the amount of the estrogen within the woman’s body

Blocking the estrogen levels in the breast cancer cells

Removal of the ovaries is the most important treatment. Most of the estrogen in a woman’s body is through the ovaries. Women receiving a diagnosis of breast cancer may want to consider having their ovaries removed before beginning any further treatments. Another possibility for the woman to consider is to have her fallopian tubes surgically removed.

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