What Are the Treatments for Advanced Breast Cancer?
According to the non-profit organization Breastcancer.org, approximately one in eight women will develop breast cancer at some point in her life. In 2008 alone, 182,460 cases of invasive breast cancer were predicted to occur in women. Of those, 40,480 were expected to die because of breast cancer-related problems. As scientists across the globe work on new treatment methods, and as more women become aware of the risks of breast cancer, the number of deaths continues to decline. Even in later stages of breast cancer, there are now treatment options available that may still help save a patient's life.
Surgery
Surgical removal of the cancer cells is one of the first options that many doctors give to patients with advanced forms of breast cancer. In early stages of cancer development, a lumpectomy---which removes only the breast tissue affected by cancer---is often enough to successfully remove the cancer. In later stages of cancer development, a mastectomy is often required. This procedure involves the removal of most of the breast tissue and, in many cases, the removal of surrounding lymph nodes.
Radiation
Radiation therapy is often used in conjunction with other treatment methods. In this procedure, beams of radiation are aimed directly on cancer-infected tissue. This intense application of radiation allows the localized deactivation of cancer cells by damaging their DNA. Once the DNA has been damaged, the cancer cells are unable to reproduce and spread.
Chemotherapy
When dealing with advanced breast cancer, oncologists also commonly use chemotherapy as a treatment option. Like radiation, chemotherapy works by damaging the DNA of cancer cells, leaving them unable to grow and divide. However, unlike radiation, chemotherapy medications are given in ways that introduce the chemicals into the bloodstream, sending the chemicals throughout the body. This is especially effective for cancer that have begun to metastasize (spread) beyond the breast, as it targets all cells dividing at an accelerated rate, not just the cells in one specific area.
Hormone Therapy
Hormone therapy, though relatively new to the treatment market, is an option that works specifically with hormone receptor-positive breast cancer. According to Breastcancer.org, approximately 80 percent of all breast cancers are hormone receptor-positive. The growth rate of this type of breast cancer is directly affected by the levels of estrogen in the body. To combat this, hormonal cancer therapies use medications ---such as aromatase inhibitors (medications that lower the levels of estrogen in the body such as Arimidex) or estrogen receptor downregulators (medications such as Faslodex that block the effects of estrogen on the breast tissue)---to both decrease the amount of estrogen being released in the body, and temporarily stop the production of estrogen.
Targeted Therapies
Targeted therapies attack the specific factors that help cancer cells proliferate. For example, Tykerb is a medication that pinpoints and focuses on the protein that breast cancer cells rely on to grow. Another example is Avastin, which makes it difficult for cancer cells to grow new blood vessels around their cells in order to multiply. Herceptin is another targeted therapy designed to neurologically affect breast cancer by blocking the nerve signals that "tell" cancer cells to grow.
Tags: cancer cells, breast cancer, breast tissue, Advanced Breast, breast cancer
