A breast cancer diagnosis is overwhelming, bringing a whirlwind of questions. Knowledge is a powerful tool for navigating the road ahead. This guide provides a clear, calm overview of the primary types of breast cancer treatments, helping you understand the options you may discuss with your dedicated oncology care team.
Your Treatment Plan is Unique to You
It's important to know that there is no single "best" treatment for breast cancer. Your recommended plan will be highly personalized based on several factors, including the specific type of cancer (e.g., its hormone receptor and HER2 status), its stage (how large it is and if it has spread), your overall health, and your personal preferences. Often, a combination of treatments is used for the best possible outcome.
Local Treatments: Targeting the Cancer at its Source
Local treatments are designed to treat the tumor in the breast and nearby areas, like the lymph nodes. The goal is to remove the cancer and prevent it from coming back in that same area.
Surgery
Breast cancer surgery is a cornerstone of treatment for most patients. The two main types are:
- Lumpectomy: Also called breast-conserving surgery, this procedure removes only the cancerous tumor and a small margin of surrounding healthy tissue.
- Mastectomy: This procedure involves the removal of the entire breast.
During surgery, your surgeon may also check the lymph nodes under your arm to see if the cancer has spread.
Radiation Therapy
Radiation for breast cancer uses high-energy rays, like X-rays, to destroy any cancer cells that might remain in the breast, chest wall, or lymph nodes after surgery. It is a local treatment that lowers the risk of the cancer returning in that area. It's almost always recommended after a lumpectomy and sometimes after a mastectomy.
Systemic Treatments: Reaching Cancer Cells Throughout the Body
Systemic therapies use drugs that travel through the bloodstream to reach and destroy cancer cells anywhere in the body.This is crucial for treating cancer that may have spread or for lowering the risk of it spreading in the future.
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy uses powerful drugs to kill fast-growing cells, which includes cancer cells. It can be given before surgery (neoadjuvant therapy) to shrink a large tumor, or after surgery (adjuvant therapy) to eliminate any remaining cancer cells. Not every patient will need chemotherapy.
Hormone Therapy
This is a highly effective treatment for breast cancers that are "hormone receptor-positive" (ER-positive or PR-positive). These cancers use hormones like estrogen as fuel to grow. Hormone therapy works by either blocking estrogen from reaching the cancer cells or by lowering the amount of estrogen in the body, effectively cutting off the cancer's fuel supply.
Targeted Therapy
Targeted therapy is a smarter type of drug treatment that targets specific characteristics of cancer cells. For example, about 20% of breast cancers are "HER2-positive," meaning they have too much of a protein called HER2 that makes them grow. Targeted drugs are designed to specifically attack the HER2 protein, stopping the cancer from growing while doing less damage to healthy cells.
Immunotherapy
One of the newest frontiers in cancer care, immunotherapy is a treatment that helps your body's own immune system recognize and fight cancer cells more effectively. It is currently used for specific types of breast cancer, such as triple-negative breast cancer, often in combination with chemotherapy.
Navigating Your Journey with Your Care Team
The different types of breast cancer therapy can be used alone or, more commonly, in combination to create a powerful, multi-pronged attack on the cancer. This guide is meant to give you a foundational understanding of the tools available. The most important step you can take is to have open and ongoing conversations with your doctors, nurses, and entire oncology team. They will be your partners in creating a personalized treatment plan and supporting you every step of the way.