Being diagnosed with breast cancer is very scary. It is not uncommon for patients who are given this diagnosis to automatically fear they will need to have their breasts removed. However, this is not always the case. Sometimes breast cancer can be treated through minor surgery removing only a small area of cancerous cells and sometimes it can be treated with medications. These are some different ways that breast cancer can be treated.

Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy is a process where anti-cancer drugs are given by mouth or intravenously to go directly to cancer cells and kill them. Not every cancer patient needs to have chemotherapy, but it has been very successful in helping many patients become cancer-free. Chemotherapy may be given before surgery to help shrink cancerous tumors so that a smaller area of the breast can be removed during surgery. This treatment may also occur after surgery to ensure that all cancer cells have been destroyed and to help prevent cancer from spreading to other areas of the body. For those patients who are not candidates for surgery, chemotherapy may also be used as the main treatment for destroying cancer cells in the breasts.

Hormone Therapy

Hormone therapy is also used to help treat breast cancer and prevent it from returning. Certain types of breast cancer cells have receptors that attach to estrogen and progesterone which are hormones naturally produced in the body. When this occurs, it can trigger breast cancer cells to grow and spread. However, hormone therapy medications stop the receptors from attaching to the hormones so that cancer cells cannot grow. Hormone therapy may be used for patients who have had breast cancer surgery to prevent it from returning. Some patients who have high-risk factors for breast cancer may begin taking hormone therapy medications to decrease the chances of breast cancer developing. Depending on the type of hormone therapy given, these may be oral medications or injection treatments.

Immunotherapy

Immunotherapy is another type of treatment for breast cancer. This treatment involves taking medications that help strengthen the immune system so that it can better fight against cancer cells. Immunotherapy is often given as infusions directly into the bloodstream so that it can begin destroying cancer cells more quickly and effectively. Immunotherapy may be used in combination with chemotherapy treatments depending on the stage the breast cancer is diagnosed in.

Every case is different depending on how advanced the breast cancer is, the age of the patient, and the patient's overall health. Both surgery and medications may be necessary to ensure that all cancer cells are destroyed and to increase the likelihood that it will not return in the future. Reach out to a professional for more information about breast cancer treatments.