How Is Breast Cancer Treated
Photo by Tara Winstead under Pexels License
How Is Breast Cancer Treated? Know the Various Treatment Options for Getting Rid of This Deadly Disease
When breast cancer strikes a person close to you, this question may invariably pop up in your mind, “How is breast cancer treated?”
The good news is that treatment options for breast cancer are continuing to make significant improvements with advances in science and technology. This gives patients and their loved ones more room for optimism that the life-threatening disease can effectively be vanquished quicker than before.
With plenty of treatment options available, it is best for the families of breast cancer patients to take time to learn them so they can make an informed choice on what treatment options are best suited for their loved ones.
What Are the Types of Breast Cancer Treatment?
There are treatment options available that treat the tumor without affecting the rest of the body. The three main treatment options are surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy. There are variants for each of these options that can effectively be applied for specific cases. Here are brief descriptions of these treatment options:
Surgery
- Breast-conserving surgery—This is one type of surgery that’s also known as lumpectomy, partial mastectomy or segmental mastectomy. Here, only the part of the breast that contains the cancer is removed.
- Mastectomy—In this type of surgery, the entire breast is removed, including all the tissues of the breast and often other surrounding tissues.
Radiation therapy
This treatment option uses high-energy rays or particles to kill cancer cells. The therapy includes two main types:
- External beam radiation—The radiation comes from a machine outside the body.
- Internal radiation or brachytherapy—For a short period of time, a radioactive source is directly placed inside the body.
Chemotherapy
This treatment option makes use of powerful drugs to kill cancer cells. The drugs are either injected directly into the vein or taken by mouth. This therapy includes:
- Hormone therapy—This uses drugs to stop hormones, particularly estrogen, from contributing to the growth of breast cancer cells. This is suggested to women with hormone receptor-positive breast cancers.
- Targeted therapy—Medicines like trastuzumab (Herceptin), lapatinib (Tykerb), and pertuzumab (Perjeta) prompt the immune system of the body to kill the cancerous cells. The drugs target high-level HER2 breast cancer cells. Ribociclib (Kisqali) and palbociclib (Ibrance) block a substance that helps the growth of cancer. These are suited for postmenopausal women with certain types of cancer together.
Oftentimes, breast cancer patients receive more than one type of treatment to effectively kill all cancer cells.
How Doctors Determine Breast Cancer Treatment Options
Oncologists take certain things into consideration before suggesting the best treatment options for a particular patient. Their choices depend on:
- Type of breast cancer
- Stage of the disease—how far has it spread in the patient’s body and the size of the tumor
- If the tumor has receptors for HER2 protein, estrogen, progesterone, and other specific features
There are other conditions that cancer specialists examine before suggesting treatment options. They include the patient’s overall health and personal preferences.
How to Decide On Treatment Options
It is important for patients and their loved ones to talk to their doctors about all treatment details, including the risks and benefits of each of the treatment options. Family members should not shy from asking questions if something is not clear to them. Only after all their questions are fully answered can they give their consent to whatever treatment options their doctors decide on.
How to Join the Fight against Breast Cancer
Do you want to join the fight against breast cancer by helping those afflicted with this life-threatening disease, particularly those with little means to pay for their treatment? If you do, then team up with us at Breast Cancer Car Donations.
By donating to us an old car, truck or any type of vehicle that you no longer find useful, you will be helping fund the programs and services being provided by our charity partners, the American Breast Cancer Foundation (ABCF) and Women Involved In Nurturing, Giving, Sharing, Inc. (WINGS). These IRS-certified 501(c)3 nonprofit organizations deliver comprehensive breast health services to uninsured and underserved individuals, providing them with financial assistance, education, early detection, and access to medical facilities where those diagnosed with breast cancer undergo full treatment, thus increasing their chances of surviving the disease.
You will also get to enjoy the benefits of your charitable contribution, including a top tax deduction after your vehicle gets sold.
For more information on our car donation program, feel free to visit our FAQs page. For inquiries, you may call us at our toll-free hotline 866-540-5069 or send us a message online.
You can make your car donation by filling out our secure online donation form or calling us directly. We accept vehicle donations anywhere in the United States since we have car donation programs in all 50 states.
Photo by Wendy Wei under Pexels License
Help Save Lives!
Despite the advances in the treatment options for breast cancer, the disease remains a serious threat to the lives of more and more people. More assistance from all sectors of society is needed to fight this devastating health menace. You can join the fight against breast cancer by simply giving away a vehicle you no longer need. Call us at 866-540-5069 and help save lives with your car donation!
Last Updated: March 14th, 2023