Treatment of Breast Cancer

Treatment options

Before deciding on a treatment plan, doctors need to determine the type of cancer, how far it has spread (stage of cancer), and the person's overall health. Depending on these factors, treatment options may include:

• Lumpectomy: With lumpectomy, a surgeon removes the lump from your breast. The surgeon may also remove nearby lymph nodes (the little oval-shaped organs that are part of your immune system) to check whether the cancer has spread. The surgery takes 1 to 2 hours. Most women spend the day at the hospital and usually do not need to stay overnight.
• Mastectomy: For a mastectomy, your surgeon removes the breast and nearby lymph nodes to see if the cancer has spread. Some women choose to have breast reconstruction during the same surgery.
• Radiation: Lumpectomies are usually followed by radiation therapy. High-energy radiation is given to your breast to kill any remaining cancer cells. Radiation usually takes about 20 minutes per day. Most women go in 4 to 5 days a week for about 6 weeks. You'll see a radiation doctor to have this done.
• Chemotherapy: Cells from the cancer may have spread somewhere else in your body. The goal of chemotherapy is to kill those cancer cells wherever they may be. Chemotherapy lowers the chance that your cancer will grow or come back.
• Hormonal therapy: Blocks cancer cells from getting the hormones they need to grow.
• Biological therapy: Works with your body's immune system to help it fight cancer cells or to control side effects from other cancer treatments.

For more information, visit the National Cancer Institute's Breast Cancer Treatment. This site can also help you find health care services.

Which treatment is right for me?

Talk to your cancer doctor (oncologist) about the treatment options available for your type and stage of cancer. Your doctor can explain the risks and benefits of each treatment and their side effects. Side effects are how your body reacts to drugs or other treatments.

Sometimes people get an opinion from more than one cancer doctor. This is called a "second opinion." Getting a second opinion may help you choose the treatment that is right for you.

Clinical trials

Clinical trials use new treatment options to see if they are safe and effective. If you have cancer, you may want to take part. Visit the sites listed below for more information.

• NIH Clinical Research Trials and You (National Institutes of Health)
• Cancer Clinical Trial Information for Patients and Caregivers (National Cancer Institute)
• Find Cancer Clinical Trials (National Cancer Institute)
• ClinicalTrials.gov (National Institutes of Health)

Complementary and alternative medicine

Complementary and alternative medicine are medicines and health practices that are not usually used by doctors to treat cancer.

• Complementary medicine is used together with standard care to help symptoms or quality of life. Acupuncture, meditation, and nutrition support are examples.
• Alternative medicine is used instead of standard treatment. The patient does not receive the standard cancer therapy. Alternative medicine can be harmful or may not work.

Talk to your doctor before you start any kind of complementary or alternative medicine.

More information

• Breast Cancer Treatment (National Cancer Institute)
• Complementary and Alternative Medicine for Patients (National Cancer Institute)