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New Treatment Options For
Breast Cancer
Nishanth Reddy
Although
surgery is the most effective (and hence, the most widely used)
breast cancer treatment method, there are several other ways of
dealing with the disease, some are more powerful than the others.
These include radiation therapy, chemotherapy or hormonal therapy,
each of them with their own assets and downsides.
Most of them however are used in combination with surgery for best
effects, either prior to it, in order to reduce the size of the
tumor or after the operation, in order to remove any remaining
cancerous cells. For a better understanding of these alternative
treatment methods for breast cancer, we’ll take a closer look at
each, explaining how they work and in what cases they might prove
useful.
Radiation Therapy
Radiation therapy uses powerful gamma rays (x-rays) which target the
specific area that needs to be treated with high precision. Usually,
radiation therapy is performed after surgery, to destroy any cancer
cells that have not been removed or the ones that formed up where
the tumor was removed. Although it can’t be used as, a treatment
on its own, radiation therapy is one of the most accepted
post-surgery methods of breast conserving therapy (BCT) and has a
high chance of stopping the cancer from recurring.
As with all treatments involving x-rays, there are some downsides to
radiation therapy. First, in order to wipe out the cancerous cells
that might have formed (or remained) in the area where the tumor was
removed from, the x-rays will eventually damage some of the healthy
tissue too. Although the process is highly precise, the rays cannot
make a difference between cancerous and normal cells, so they “burn”
them together.
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy involves the administration of drugs that kill the
cancer cells or stop them from growing. Most chemotherapy
medications are given through an intravenous line, although some are
administered in pill form. Chemotherapy is a harsh regime, which
often makes people feel more ill than the illness they are suffering
from; however, it has been proved very effective.
Chemotherapy is a great treatment method to use both prior and after
surgery. With the help of this method, you can virtually contract
the cancerous tumor before the actual surgery, making it easier and
less complex to remove. In addition, chemotherapy is used in the
same sense as radiation therapy after the surgical intervention, to
stop the diseased cells to recur.
Chemotherapy is administered usually in cycles where each cycle
consists of a period of intensive treatment that lasts for a few
days or weeks followed by a week of recovery. Most patients with
breast cancer have two to four cycles of chemotherapy to start with
before tests are performed to see what effects it has had on the
cancer.
Chemotherapy is different to radiation as it can treat the whole
body with the potential of finding other tumor cells that have
migrated from the breast and surrounding area. Many people are
familiar with chemotherapy’s side effects although the side
effects do depend upon drugs to treat the patient.
The most common side effects are loss of hair, loss of appetite,
fatigue, vomiting and low blood cell count making the patient more
susceptible to infections, feeling sick or tired. Many notice that
they bleed more than usual, especially from gums, sores and small
scrapes etc.
There are three different chemotherapy strategies are used in breast
cancer:
Adjuvant chemotherapy – this is given to patients who have
undergone curative treatment for breast cancer such as radiation or
surgery. In order to decrease the possibility of the breast cancer
recurrence, this treatment is given.
Pre-surgical chemotherapy – this is given to shrink a large tumor
and/or to kill any stray cancerous cells. This will also increase
the chance that the surgery will kill the cancer completely.
Regular chemotherapy – this is given routinely to people who have
breast cancer that has spread beyond the breast or the surrounding
local area.
Hormonal therapy may also be given, as many breast cancers such as
those that have ample estrogens or progesterone receptors are
sensitive to changes in hormones.
Tamoxifen Breast Cancer Treatment
Those women who are genetically at high risk of developing breast
cancer may benefit from tamoxifen as it has previously been seen to
decrease the incidence of the disease occurring. Raloxifene, which
is used to treat osteoporosis, is now being studied for treating
breast cancer.
In some breast cancer cases, a woman’s natural hormones are
suppressed with drugs whereas other patients find benefits by adding
hormones. Tamoxifen for instance is currently the most commonly
prescribed effective hormone treatment. It can be used for treating
breast cancer and in the prevention of breast cancer. Tamoxifen has
few side effects and can considerably improve the life span of those
women who have advanced cases of breast cancer.
Fulvestrant Breast Cancer Treatment
A further treatment, Fulvestrant has recently been approved in the
USA. It is planned to be used for treating hormone receptor positive
metastastic breast cancer in women who have been through the
menopause. It is given following antiestrogen therapy.
Monoclonal Breast Cancer Treatment
Another treatment known as monoclonal is antibodies that are
antagonistic against the proteins, which are in or around cancer
cells. They recognise an invader such as a cancer cell and attack
it. This antibody therapy is currently being investigated holds out
a lot of hope for breast cancer sufferers.
Excessive alcohol intake and obesity following menopause can
increase the risk of developing breast cancer although this increase
is slight. Those physically active women have a lower risk.
Preventative or Prophylactic Mastectomies
More and more women who are at a high risk of developing breast
cancer are having preventative or prophylactic mastectomies to avoid
them developing breast cancer.
The main risk factors for women to develop breast are age, sex and
genetics. Women can do nothing about some risks so preventing death
caused due to breast cancer is recommended with regular screening.
Women should undertake regular screening including self-examination,
mammography and clinical breast examinations.
I hope that reading the above information was both enjoyable and
educational for you. That's how things stand right now. Keep in mind
that any subject can change over time, so be sure you keep up with
the latest news.
Nishanth Reddy is an author and publisher of many health
related websites. To learn more about Breast cancer symptoms, causes, stages
and different treatment options available to cure Breast cancer, visit his
website at Breast
Cancer Information
To find other free health content see
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