Although breast cancer can be treated, like other cancers, there is a chance of breast cancer recurring. Most recurrences of breast cancer happen in the first three to five years after the treatment, and sometimes they do not appear in the breast but can appear in the lymph nodes, the bones, liver or lungs. There are many changes in a woman's body that indicate that the cancer has recurred, but there are also treatment options in case it does.
Lumpectomy and Mastectomy
Lumpectomy -- also called a biopsy, partial mastectomy, re-excision, quadrantectomy or wedge resection -- is done by removing the breast tumor or lump in the breast and some of the surrounding tissue and is followed by radiation therapy. Radiation treatment cannot be administered to the same area more than once, so if lumpectomy was performed during the first occurrence of breast cancer, a mastectomy is usually the treatment for a recurrence.
Radiation Therapy
If a mastectomy was the first treatment in the occurrence of breast cancer, the tumor which recurred near the area of the mastectomy is removed and is then followed by radiation therapy. Radiation therapy is done to eliminate any cancer cells that may be present in the remaining breast tissue. Sometimes radiation therapy is followed by a lumpectomy, but it is important to keep in mind that it is not a cure and that recurrence can still happen even when given both treatments.
Hormone Therapy and Chemotherapy
If you have had radiation therapy, this is usually followed by hormone therapy or chemotherapy. Sometimes, both hormone therapy and chemotherapy are used to treat recurrence of cancer that involves organs such as the bones, lungs and brain. Since the female hormones estrogen and progesterone stimulate the growth of breast cancer, hormone therapy is used to stop this production to prevent breast cancer from growing. There are different kinds of hormone therapy drugs used to treat breast cancer.
Chemotherapy is the most common type of cancer treatment and uses medication to treat the cancer by targeting growing cancer cells. There are many different kinds of chemotherapy medications and these are usually given in combinations either intravenously or orally. The downside of chemotherapy, however, is that it causes side effects such as nausea and it also affects normal, healthy cells.
Discuss the different treatments for breast cancer recurrence that are right for you with your doctor. Although side effects differ depending on the person, your doctor should be able to tell you about all the different side effects that can occur based on the different types of treatments that are available. Keep in mind that breast cancer treatment also depends on the location, stage and the general health of the patient.
Tags: breast cancer, hormone therapy, radiation therapy, side effects, cancer cells
