TREATMENTsherrymona

=__**How Do You Treat Breast Cancer? **__=

There are many different types of treatments for patients with breast cancer. Some treatments are standard treatment, while others are still being tested in clinical trials. The standard treatments are the ones that are currently being used. A treatment clinical trial is a research study meant to help improve current treatments or obtain information on new treatments for patients with cancer. There are four types of standard treatment that is used and they are surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, and hormone therapy.

Most patients with breast cancer have surgery to remove the cancer from the breast. Breast-conserving surgery, which is an operation used to remove the cancer but not the breast itself, includes lumpectomy (surgery to remove a tumor (lump) and a small amount of normal tissue around it) and partial mastectomy (surgery to remove the part of the breast that has cancer and some normal tissue around it). Other types of surgery include total mastectomy (surgery to remove the whole breast that has cancer) and radical mastectomy (surgery to remove the breast that has cancer, chest wall muscles under the breast, and all of the lymph nodes under the arm).

Even if the doctor removes all the cancer that can be seen at the time of the surgery, some patients may be given radiation therapy, chemotherapy , or hormone therapy after surgery to kill any cancer cells that are left. Treatment given after the surgery, to increase the chances of a cure, is called adjuvant therapy. Radiation therapy is a cancer treatment that uses high-energy x-rays or other types of radiation to kill cancer cells or keep them from growing. Chemotherapy is a cancer treatment that uses drugs to stop the growth of cancer cells, either by killing the cells or by stopping them from dividing. Hormone therapy is a cancer treatment that removes hormones or blocks their action and stops cancer cells from growing.

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**//This image shows breast conserving surgery. Dotted lines show the area containing the tumor that is removed and some of the lymph nodes that may be removed.//**
[] ====//**This image shows modified radical mastectomy. The dotted line shows where the entire breast and some lymph nodes are removed. Part of the chest wall muscle may also be removed. ** // ====  []

= = __MINI-QUIZ:__
 * //This image shows total (simple) mastectomy. The dotted line shows where the entire breast is removed. Some lymph nodes under the arm may also be removed.//**

1. What are the four types of standard treatment used to treat breast cancer? 2. What is the difference between partial mastectomy, total mastectomy, and radical mastectomy?



ANSWERS:

1. Radiation Therapy, Hormone Therapy, Chemotherapy, Surgery 2. Partial mastectomy is surgery to remove the part of the breast that has cancer and some normal tissue around it.Total mastectomy is surgery to remove the whole breast that has cancer. Radical mastectomy is surgery to remove the breast that has cancer, chest wall muscles under the breast and all of the lymph nodes under the arm