Treatment Options for Breast cancer

Treatment options may consist of surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, hormone therapy or any combination of these treatments.

• Surgery is performed in order to remove the tumor in the breast and possibly surrounding tissues and nearby lymph nodes.
• Chemotherapy is a cancer treatment that uses anti-cancer drugs to kill or stop the growth of cancer cells.
• Radiation therapy is a cancer treatment that uses high-energy radiation beams to eliminate cancer cells or stop them from growing.Radiation therapy consists of external beam radiotherapy and brachytherapy or internal radiation therapy.
• External beam is a treatment option that uses localized high energy radiation beams to eliminate cancer cells and keep them from growing.
• Brachytherapy uses a radioactive substance, usually in the form of seeds which are placed directly into or near the cancer which helps to shrink the tumor.
• Hormone therapy is a treatment that targets specific hormones linked to the cancer cells by blocking the properties associated with cell growth.