In this article I am going to cover options for treating breast
cancer, once it has been diagnosed.
Unlike years ago when options for treatment were few and not
very effective, today there are many options for treating breast
cancer, many with excellent results and chances for full
recovery, depending on the type of breast cancer and how
advanced it is.
Here is a brief overview of your options today.
1. Local Regional Treatment. This is actually treatment of the
lymph nodes in the area surrounding the breast as well as the
breast itself. If metastatic disease is present then the
treatment is given to specific areas. One of these methods is
radiation therapy or radiotherapy. Much to womens' surprise
there are very few side effects from this therapy and they are
restricted to the area being treated. Radiotherapy is an
effective way to destroy the cancer cells and provide the best
chance that the cancer will not come back.
Another method of this type of treatment is surgery which is
usually the last recourse when all other methods have failed.
With surgery in many cases reconstruction is needed afterwards
as often part or all of the breast needs to be removed, which is
called having a mastectomy. However, even this radical a surgery
is not as drastic as it was years ago. Today every attempt is
made to preserve as much of the healthy breast as possible.
2. Systemic Treatments. This is where the whole body is treated
as a system.
The most common systemic treatment is chemotherapy. The purpose
of chemotherapy is to get rid of any cancer cells that may have
spread from the breast to other areas of the body. The reason
chemotherapy works and also the reason it is so hard on your
body is because it attacks the rapidly dividing cancer cells in
your body. Unfortunately cancer cells are not the only cells in
your body that divide, thus the reason that chemotherapy can
have such a sickening effect on a person. Still, chemotherapy is
not as hard to go through today as it was years ago and is an
important insurance policy against the spread of the disease,
especially to the lymph nodes, which in many cases is fatal.
Another treatment that isn't as common is tamoxifen, which is a
very powerful drug. This drug reduces the risk of breast cancer
returning after surgery and even reduces the risk of a woman
ever getting breast cancer. However the side effects, though not
fatal, can be very serious and uncomfortable. They include blood
clots and uterine cancer, hot flushes, early menopause, problems
with fertility, nausea and vomiting, weight gain, mood swings,
depression and loss of energy.
3. Alternative and Holistic Treatments. These are treatments
where the body, mind and spirit are all treated. Unfortunately
there is very little medical evidence to show that these
treatments are effective. Some of these alternative methods
include acupuncture, meditation, relaxation techniques, and the
use of flaxseed and black cohosh. Flaxseed supposedly reduces
the growth and spread of breast cancer. Black cohosh is supposed
to stop the hot flushes associated with those who have breast
cancer. Again, there is nothing to support either of these
claims.
Years ago breast cancer was pretty much a death sentence. Today
with the effective and relatively safe treatments that have been
developed a woman can not only survive breast cancer but also
have a normal healthy life afterwards.
About the author:
Michael Russell
Your Independent guide to
Breast
Cancer
