Breast cancer treatment

Breast cancer treatment is not as easy as diagnosing it. Treatment depends on its size extension & metastasis. broadly treatment is categorised in to medical, surgical and follow up.

Medical treatment
It is applied in early stage where surgical intervention is not required. This includes chemotherapy , hormonal therapy. The treatment module is not the same for all breast cancers, it varies. Like in fibrocystic condition drugs like danazol, tamoxifen hepls to reduce symptoms, but because of its side effects its usage is restricted . Gamolenic acid has been shown to decrease pain. Studies also shows intake of Vitamin E hasbeen helpful.
In carcinoma of breast , hormonal therapy is most commonly adviced in post menopausal women. drugs like Trastuzumab, Tamoxifen, Arimidex been used for it.
Chemotherapy is usually done following surgery, used to eliminate occult metastasis in distant organ and it may also decrease local recurrence. drugs like cyclophosphamide , methotrexate, doxorubicin, epirubicin, fluorouracil are been used. the duration of the therapy ranges from 3months to 12 months.

Neoadjuvant therapy has shown effective results in carcinoma of breast, this is the usage of chemotherapy or hormonal therapy prior to resection of primary lesion & is getting popular now.

Surgical treatment:
The main aim of surgeries in breast cancer is
A. To preserve breast structure as much as possible.
B. To intervent the progress of the disease.
C. To improve the life survival after surgical.
It includes procedures like lumpectomy, total mastectomy, partial mastectomy, modified radical mastectomy, these surgeries has its own merits. Surgical treatment is often followed by radiotherapy. radiotherapy after surgery increases survival of patients.

Irradiation also been used where cancer lesion is single , local , resection done followed by irradiation for 1-2 weeks.

Follow up:
After treatment , patients should be monitored for life in order to detect recurrence. because local and distant recurrences occur most frequently within first 2-5years. During first 2 years patient should be examined every 6months and later annually.