Treatment

Method of treatment of breast cancer are selected, given stage of cancer, general health of the patient, and then, whether the cancer cells are sensitive to hormones. It may also be taken into account the patient's personal preferences. Most women in the treatment of breast cancer require surgery, in combination with additional therapies such as chemotherapy, hormonal therapy or radiotherapy.

Currently, there are many ways to treat breast cancer in various combinations, and quite naturally, when the patient is at a loss if it has to take part in deciding what type of treatment chosen. It makes sense to consult with other specialists from other clinics and talk to women who have been exposed to the need to take such a decision.

Radiation

Radiotherapy - is the use of ionizing radiation to kill cancer cells. Most radiotherapy using a large machine that directs the radiation on the human body (external radiation therapy). However, there is also contact, and interstitial radiation therapy in which the radiation source is injected into the patient.

Remote radiotherapy generally used after removal of the cancerous tumor in the treatment of breast cancer at an early stage. Sometimes doctors prescribe this therapy after mastectomy, in order to remove large tumors. There is scientific evidence indicating that, when the remote radiotherapy performed after time lymph node biopsy was negative (no cancer cells were found), the probability of cancer to other lymph node lesions is considerably reduced.

Side effects of radiation therapy are rash and redness of the skin areas to which it was directed radiation. The chest may appear swollen, and be more solid to the touch. In rare cases, there are more serious problems, such as swelling of hands (lymphedema), broken ribs (due to weakening of bone tissue), and damage to the nerve fibers of the lungs.

Chemotherapy

Destruction of cancer cells by chemotherapy medications called. If there is a strong likelihood of recurrence of cancer or its spread to other parts of the body, the doctor may prescribe chemotherapy that allows to some extent to reduce the risk. This treatment is also called adjuvant systemic chemotherapy.

Women with large breast tumors may be recommended to undergo a course of chemotherapy prior to surgery (if this type of treatment is called neoadjuvant chemotherapy). Such treatment is to reduce the size of the tumor in order to facilitate its removal. It may also increase the likelihood that the treatment will be successful. Neoadjuvant chemotherapy is now actively exploring to determine what other groups of patients, it can be useful.

Chemotherapy is also used to treat women whose cancer has spread to other parts of the body. It allows you to a certain extent hinder the development of metastatic disease and alleviate its symptoms.

Common side effects of chemotherapy are hair loss, nausea, vomiting, fatigue and a little increased risk of infectious diseases.

Hormone therapy

Hormone therapy, which may be, it would be more correct to call the hormone-blocking therapy is often used to treat breast cancer that is sensitive to the effects of hormones. Doctors sometimes refer to these types of cancer, estrogen receptor-positive and receptor-progeteron positive.

Hormone therapy may be used after surgery or other treatments to reduce the risk of recurrence or spread of the cancer. If the spread of cancer has already begun, hormone therapy can help slow it down. The following types of drugs for hormone therapy for breast cancer:

Medications that block hormone receptors in cancer cells. Tamoxifen, belonging to the group of selective estrogen receptor modulators (SERMs), is the most commonly used drugs of this type. SERMs not given estrogen Estrogen - the key to bone health   bind to the estrogen receptors on cancer cells, slowing the growth of tumors and destroying cancer cells. Tamoxifen is prescribed to women both before and after menopause. Its side effects can be constant tiredness, hot flushes fat, increased night sweats and vaginal dryness Vaginal dryness: Causes and Symptoms . Sometimes, tamoxifen causes more serious side effects such as cataracts Cataracts - how to solve the problem completely? , Blood clots, stroke and uterine cancer.

Medicaments stopping estrogen production in the body after menopause. One group of drugs in this category - aromatase inhibitors - block the activity of an enzyme that converts androgens to estrogen. These drugs are effective only for women who have already come menozpauza. By aromatase inhibitors include anastrozole (Arimidex), letrozole (Femara), and exemestane (Aromasin). Among the side effects of these drugs - pain in muscles and joints and increased risk of bone thinning (osteoporosis). Another drug - fulvestrant (Faslodex) directly blocks the production of estrogen, so that the tumor is no longer required to obtain its development hormone. Fulvestrant is usually prescribed for women who have menopause, and who are not helped by other drugs for hormone therapy Hormone therapy - is it possible to fool nature? Or who have contraindications to the use of tamoxifen. Possible side effects of fulvestrant - fatigue, nausea and hot flashes. Fulvestrant is used by injection once a month.

Surgery or medications to stop hormone production by the ovaries. Women after menopause can be recommended medications, which block the production of hormones in the ovaries, or removal of the ovaries surgically. This is called prophylactic oophorectomy; sometimes it is also called surgical menopause.

One of the most frequent malignant disease in women is breast cancer. Stage breast cancer tell how far the disease has gone. In addition, the division of breast cancer stage has a clear connection with his treatment. Despite the fact that breast cancer is recommended individual approach to treatment of a particular women, have common related recommendations, usually with disease stage.

Stage and extent of development of breast cancer

Breast cancer can be divided into stages - it allows a better understanding of how and by what methods to treat a woman, and assume what will be the effect of the treatment. However, breast cancer (breast cancer - breast cancer) - a disease that does not always behave predictably.

In order to increase the accuracy of the prediction, and if necessary to assign more intensive course of treatment of breast cancer has been divided into the extent that laboratory determined by the degree of maturation and the fission rate of the tumor cells. It is believed that the fast-growing, more mature, and similar to breast tissue cells (differentiated) say about the relative benign tumors, while slowly ripening (undifferentiated) and rapidly dividing cells - is a signal of a possible rapid progression of the tumor.

In recent years, it has been found that breast cancer may have (but need not have) a number of receptors (adaptations to cells to which are attached one or another biologically active substance). The presence or absence of such receptors as a prognostic factor.

Thus, the presence of receptors for the female sex hormones estrogen and progesterone Progesterone - norm and pathology   (ER and PR), or one of them has a positive effect on the prognosis of the disease - hormonal tumor treated with anti-hormonal and even drugs. But the presence of tumor receptor protein HER-2neu - is a poor prognostic factor that is often associated with poorly differentiated tumor cells and their rapid division and drug resistance (immunity to drugs).

Breast cancer - the stage of the disease and its tentative forecast

Stage breast cancer, some are called degrees, but this is wrong. Stages of breast cancer based on the clinical course of cancer and its spread in the female body, which makes it possible to predict its course and survival after treatment:

• Stage 0 breast cancer - the so-called preinvasive cancer (cancer in situ - carcinoma in situ), in which the tumor is a cluster of malignant transformed cells, bred in the breast tissue or ducts, and still does not extend to the surrounding tissue; desyatilnetnyaya survival in this step comes to 98%;
• Stage I - formed tumors up to 2 cm in diameter, but it has not spread to the surrounding tissues and prevents metastasis; survival - 96%
• Stage II is divided into stages IIA and IIB; Stage IIA - tumor less than 2 cm in diameter with metastatic axillary lymph nodes (affected no more than three lymph nodes), or swelling of up to 5 cm in diameter without metastases Metastasis - danger everywhere   in the axillary lymph nodes Axillary lymph nodes - signals about trouble in the mammary glands ; Stage IIB - tumors up to 5 cm in diameter, with metastases to 1-3 axillary lymph nodes, or more than 5 cm in diameter without lymph node metastases; 10-year survival rate - 75-90%;
• Stage III lasts three stages - IIIA, IIIB and IIIC; Stage IIIA - the tumor less than 5 cm in diameter, plus metastases in 4-9 axillary lymph nodes or to lymph nodes Lymph nodes - what keeps our immune system   in the chest cavity on the same side where the tumor; 10-year survival rate - 65-75%; Stage IIIB cancer has grown and reached the front of the skin or chest wall, as well as cancer of mastitis; the ten-year survival rate is 10-40%; Stage IIIC breast cancer - a tumor in the breast plus axillary metastases in breast and lymph nodes; the ten-year survival rate of about 10%;
• Stage IV - tumor metastasis to distant organs; the ten-year survival rate of less than 10%.

Laboratory division of breast cancer in powers

According to the degree of invasiveness (ability to penetrate into the tissue) breast cancer is divided into low, medium and high degree.

• Low (first) degree of invasiveness is characterized by the fact that cancer cells grow rapidly, maturing almost to the same extent as conventional (that is apparently not differ from normal cells) and slowly fall.
• Average (second) level characterized in that the cells little differ from healthy cells surrounding breast tissue, but there is the possibility that the cells will develop rapidly, yet there.
• High (third) characterized by a low degree of differentiation of cells (immature and they are absolutely similar to the cells of healthy tissue), slow ripening and rapid division.

The stage and grade of breast cancer help professionals understand the course of the disease, the right to appoint adequate treatment and to make a prediction as to the length and quality of life of women.