Breast cancer treatment saves lives.
If awareness of breast cancer has exploded in recent years, it is not without reason. Based on statistics, roughly one in eight American women will have some form of the disease, and roughly one in five of those cases will be fatal. Fortunately, these statistics have improved from previous years, as methods of detection and treatment have advanced. If you or a loved one is afflicted with breast cancer, you have a variety of options to pursue.
Screening
Detection is vital, because breast cancer is most treatable if caught early. The most frequent method of screening for potential breast cancer remains the mammogram. The traditional mammogram is an X-Ray of the breast designed to identify potentially malignant masses.
But if the X-Ray mammogram fails to offer conclusive results, other screening technologies may be used, such as ultrasound or MRI. If the results are abnormal, further tests like needle biopsies will be applied, especially if the patient has genetic and/or lifestyle factors that put them at high risk.
Stage 0
Breast cancer is diagnosed in stages, ranked from lowest to highest in number and severity. Stage 0 indicates that there are abnormal cells in the breast, but those cells have not become invasive. This condition, labeled "in situ," is not dangerous in and of itself, but presents a risk of eventually developing into cancer.
For breast cancer in situ, either mastectomy (breast removal surgery) or lumpectomy (breast-conserving surgery that removes the abnormal cells and some attached breast tissue) followed by 5 to 7 weeks of radiation therapy is recommended.
Stages I and II
Stage I indicates that there is a malignant tumor within the breast, but the cancer cells have not spread to other parts of the body.
Stage II breast cancer is more severe, having spread to the axillary lymph nodes attached to the breast, but is still relatively contained.
Surgery is necessary for these stages, either lumpectomy or mastectomy. Surgeries are typically followed by radiation therapy and chemotherapy drugs to eliminate any remaining traces of cancer. Hormone therapy is sometimes used to block future growth of cancer cells.
Stage III
A Stage III breast cancer has spread through the collar bone, and may not be operable. If surgery can be employed, the same procedures for lesser stage tumors will be used.
Chemotherapy will be used if the cancer is inoperable, with surgery becoming an available option if the tumors shrink sufficiently. At this stage, several clinical trials for new medicines and treatments become available, though their effects are still relatively unknown.
Stage IV
The most severe form of breast cancer, a Stage IV condition has spread throughout the body's other organs (brain, heart, lungs, skeleton, etc.). Traditional treatments like radiation and chemotherapy are still used, but with decreased effectiveness.
New medications will be added to treat specific affected organs, and to lower the patient's levels of pain. However, the odds are higher at Stage IV that the patient will be terminal.
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