Breast Cancer Treatment Products and Therapy
The use of a certain breast cancer treatment largely depends on the type of breast cancer and its stage. If the patient doesn’t ignore the earliest symptoms of breast cancer and goes to the doctor immediately, the chances of detecting the disease at its early stage are very high. Depending on the stage, breast cancer may look like a tiny lump or display signs of metastases.
The most common and probably the simplest breast cancer treatment method is lumpectomy (lump + “ectomy” – surgical excision). The operation involves removal of the lump along with lymph nodes and the surrounding tissue. The tissue will then be analyzed for metastasis, while removal of lymph nodes will help the surgeon make sure the cells didn’t spread beyond the lump.
There is a more serious and complicated breast cancer treatment method – mastectomy, which basically involves the removal of the mammary gland and the entire breast. This breast cancer therapy may be required if cancerous cells have spread to the chest muscles. Radical mastectomy can be done if the patient has been neglecting her condition for a long time, and may require the removal of chest muscles surrounding the breast and lymph nodes located under the arm.
If the patient loses one breast to cancer, it’s common to have reconstructive surgery. This surgery involves an artificial breast replacing the one removed, which helps the woman feel more self-confident when in public.
If cancerous cells have infiltrated the lymph nodes, the patient may require even more radical breast cancer treatment. In this case the cells are likely to have spread around the body through lymph channels and blood vessels. Several forms of treatment that exist for these conditions are called systemic, as they are used to deal with the whole system, i.e. the body.
The most common breast cancer treatments for such severe conditions are chemotherapy, radiation and hormone therapy. The radiation that is used to kill cancerous cells is very powerful, much more powerful that X-rays, and eliminates them wherever they are found.
In chemotherapy the cells are destroyed by a number of chemicals that are delivered to the patient’s body through injection or orally. The chemicals travel through the channels of the body destroying any cells found on the way. Breast cancer research has shown that chemotherapy and radiation cause very serious side effects, such as infertility, hair loss (often temporary), vaginal sores, fatigue, nausea and vomiting.
The third kind of breast cancer therapy is hormone therapy, which is basically a kind of chemotherapy. Tamoxifen is a natural breast cancer product that also destroys cancerous cells. The period of treatment may last as long as five years and the patient should take one pill every day. This breast cancer product significantly lowers the probability of recurring breast cancer – by 25-35%.
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