Clinical Trials
There are two classifications of breast cancer treatments: standard treatments and clinical trials. Clinical trials are ongoing and serve to study new treatment options to observe their effectiveness and safety. If the trial treatment turns out to be better than the current standard treatments, then the trial treatment becomes widely used as a standard treatment. Breast cancer patients can join a clinical trial no matter what stage of breast cancer they're in. They can also join before or after they've started a standard treatment. Participating in clinical trials is safe to do, as the researchers and doctors are obligated by law to fully disclose all of the details of what a patient will experience. Some cancer treatment centers have special outreach programs designed to target minorities for participation in clinical trials. This improves breast cancer treatment in minorities because the same treatment sometimes impacts people of different races differently.
Standard Treatments
There are four types of standard breast cancer treatments: hormone therapy, radiation, chemotherapy and surgery. These treatments can be used alone or in combination with one another. For instance, a patient may initially undergo surgery to remove a cancerous lump in her breast, then follow up with any of the other three standard treatments. Doctors and patients work together to choose the best course of treatment after the initial diagnosis. This recommendation for treat the cancer depends on many variables, including what stage the cancer is in and the condition and personal wishes of the patient.
Surgery and Hormone Replacement
Surgery can be used to treat breast cancer by physically removing the tumor from the body. This can involve removing a small portion of one breast with a lumpectomy (removal of a lump). Conversely, a patient may have both breasts completely removed with a double mastectomy. In hormone therapy, the levels of the patient's hormones are manipulated to reduce or stop the growth of cancer cells.
Radiation and Chemotherapy
Radiation therapy uses X-rays to target cancer cells to stop their growth. This radiation treatment can be external or internal. With external radiation, a device emits radiation toward the cancer from the outside. With internal radiation, radioactive material is inserted into the body near the cancer or directly on it. Chemotherapy is the use of chemicals taken by mouth or IV injection. The chemicals slow down or stop the cancer from growing and spreading.
Tags: breast cancer, standard treatments, breast cancer treatments, cancer cells, cancer from, cancer treatment, cancer treatments
