Understanding Breast Cancer
Breast cancer develops gradually over months or years, but once diagnosed, it requires urgent treatment. Consult your physician if you experience any of the following:
- Discovering a lump in your breast.
- Finding a persistent lump in your armpit or above your collarbone.
- Experiencing nipple discharge.
- Noticing nipple inversion or skin changes, which might indicate an infection.
- If you suspect an infection, see your healthcare provider within 24 hours.
- If you experience redness, swelling, or severe pain in your breast and can't reach your healthcare provider, visit the nearest emergency department.
If an abnormality is found on your mammogram, promptly consult your healthcare provider to plan further evaluation.
Medical Treatment
For many women with breast cancer, treatment involves more than just surgery. It may include hormone therapy, chemotherapy, or radiation therapy. The specific treatment depends on various factors, including cancer stage, type, and patient preferences.
If malignant cells persist after surgery, radiation therapy is used to remove them. Radiation therapy affects only the targeted tumor cells.
- Radiation therapy is usually given over five to six weeks, five days a week.
- It's generally painless but may cause skin irritation or burns similar to a bad sunburn.
- Adjuvant chemotherapy aims to reduce cancer recurrence risk after curative treatment like surgery and radiation.
- Presurgical chemotherapy shrinks large tumors and kills stray cancer cells, making surgery more effective.
- Therapeutic chemotherapy is used for breast cancer that has spread beyond the breast or local area.
Chemotherapy is administered in cycles, with breaks in between. It targets the entire body and is effective against stray tumor cells.
Chemotherapy side effects vary with the drugs used, including hair loss, nausea, fatigue, and low blood cell counts. Most side effects are treatable or preventable.
Hormonal therapy may be needed for hormone-sensitive breast cancers. It can prevent recurrence or treat existing disease.
Ovarian ablation, suppression, or other hormonal changes may be used based on the patient's menopausal status.
Medications like tamoxifen, fulvestrant, and aromatase inhibitors may be prescribed as hormonal therapy.
Megace (megestrol acetate) is a progesterone-like drug used for hormonal therapy.
Monoclonal antibodies like Trastuzumab (Herceptin), Lapatinib (Tykerb), and Bevacizumab (Avastin) target specific proteins in or around cancer cells to inhibit their growth.