What treatments are available for breast cancer

You need to see a doctor if you notice changes in your breast. Not all breast cancers or breast cancer patients are alike, therefore treatment will vary with the individual.An individual's chance for recovery depends upon a number of factors such as:

• The stage of the cancer (whether it is just in the breast or has spread to other parts of the body)
• The type of breast cancer
• The certain characteristics of the cancer cells
• Your age and weight
• Menopausal status
• Overall state of health

Treatments for early breast cancer can include limpectomy (limited surgery which removes the cancer but not the entire breast) followed by radiation therapy, or breast reconstruction after mastectomy (surgical removal of the breast.) Additional treatment may include chemotherapy or hormone therapy. Biological therapy (using the body's own immune system to fight cancer) and bone marrow transplantation are new methods that are currently being tested in clinical trials. Often, two or more methods are used in combination.An individual with breast cancer should fully review all of the options with a physician before deciding upon the proper treatment program.Once breast cancer has been found, more test are conducted to see if the cancer has spread from the breast to other parts of the body. The spreading of cancer in this manner is called metastasis. Doctors need to know the stage of the disease - how large the tumor is, and if there are cancer cells beyond the breast - to plan the proper treatment.

Listed below are the basic stages of breast cancer:

STAGE I - The cancer is no wider than 2 centimeters (about 1 inch) and has not spread outside the breast.

Stage II - The tumor is more than 2 cm but less than 5 cm in the greatest dimension.

Stage III - Tumor is more than 5 cm in the greatest dimension.

Stage IV- Tumor of any size with growth extending to the chest wall or skin.

Even after an individual has been treated for breast cancer, it is possible for the cancer to come back (recur). However in most cases, the cancer can be treated, but usually cannot be cured, once the breast cancer has spread to other parts of the body.