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Personal research into the options available is recommended, as well as thorough discussion with a doctor or health practitioner. A womans age, whether she is a first-time breast cancer patient or it is recurring, the specific type, stage, grade and locality of the breast cancer, and the individual risk factorsas well as other health issues she may haveall must be taken into consideration.
Probably the most commonly used as well as the most well-known treatment options are surgery, radiation therapy and chemotherapy. These are still considered to be very effective, but many other treatment options are gaining in popularity, such as herceptin, tamoxifen and other types of hormonal therapy, as well as alternative and complementary therapies. Most women choose a combination of therapies.
Surgery is almost always recommended as one of several treatment options for first-time breast cancer patients. The two different types are lumpectomy, or breast-conserving surgery, which involves surgically removing the tumor and some surrounding healthy tissue in the breast, and a mastectomy, which is the surgical removal of the whole breast. There are many factors that come into play when deciding between a lumpectomy and a mastectomy, such as the chance of recurrence, and considering radiation therapy and breast reconstructive surgery.
Radiation therapy is often used in conjunction with surgery. After a lumpectomy the whole breast is radiated with high energy x-rays, used to kill cancer cells, and after a mastectomy the lymph nodes and chest wall may also be treated. Although radiation does produce side-effects and symptoms, these are usually localized, and this form of treatment is usually well tolerated.
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In December of 2001, breast cancer was the furthest thing from my mind. I was busy. I had a loving husband, a nice home, three beautiful stepchildren, a good job. Then my perfect l ..
Chemotherapy, also very common and widely used, involves the use of medications to destroy cancer cells by interfering with its growth. However, it can also kill healthy cells and cause undesirable side-effects in women, such as fatigue, nausea, vomiting, increased risk of infection and hair loss.
Herceptin is a treatment given intravenously into the bloodstream once every one to three weeks, targeting only HER2 (a protein)-positive breast cancer in women with metastatic (advanced) disease, medium to large tumors and cancers with lymph nodes involved.
Hormone therapy is also sometimes usedby pill or injectionif the breast cancer tumor is sensitive to the hormones estrogen and/or progestin. Hormone therapy will reduce the availability of these hormones, starving the cancer and hindering its growth. Tamoxifen is one such drug under this category, prescribed for women with hormone-receptor-positive breast cancer. Tamoxifen is the hormonal drug of choice for pre-menopausal women but has been shown to be slightly less effective in post-menopausal women than other hormonal therapies, like aromatase inhibitors.
Malaysia And Breast CancerBreast cancer is the most common cancer among Malaysian women from all ethnicities and it is also the most common cause of cancer death among
women in Malaysia. The disease accounts for 30.4% of newly diagnosed cancer cases in Malaysian women. The incidence continues to rise as confirmed by the latest report of the Malaysian National Cancer Registry (Lim, Halimah, & Lim, 2003). Breast cancer incidence for 2002 is 4,337, compared to 3,825 for the year 2000. The actual number of women infected by the disease could be higher than the official figures as many women fail to seek treatment for vari ..
Alternative therapies to treating breast cancer are becoming more popular, either used instead of or in addition to conventional methods. However, there has not been enough clinical research to support their effectiveness and safety. Such alternatives include acupuncture, meditation and therapeutic touch, flaxseed and black cohosh, and special restrictive diets.
It is vital for women considering alternative therapies to research these options as much as possible and to consult their health-care team, as they should be doing with any combination of the above-mentioned treatments for breast cancer.
About the Author: Will Hanke runs Breast Cancer First Sign (http://8008135.info" target="_blank"> http://8008135.info) - an informational website for symptoms, causes and cures for breast cancer.
Source: http://www.isnare.com Will HankeResearch And Discuss Breast Cancer Treatment Options
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