Treatment Options for Breast Cancer

What are the Treatment Options for Breast Cancer?

The treatment of breast cancer depends on whether it is the non-invasive (DCIS or LCIS) type or not. We will discuss the treatment of invasive type breast cancer first, and then move on to the treatment of the non-invasive type.

As mentioned earlier, the aim of breast screening is to detect the cancer at an early stage in women who appear well and do not have any symptoms of the disease. The earlier that a breast cancer is detected, the more likely it is to be treatable. ‘Early’ breast cancer implies that the cancer lump is relatively small, has not invaded the overlying skin or underlying chest wall, and that the lymph glands in the armpit are not involved at all (or are only minimally involved). It also means that the cancer has not spread (metastasised) to any other part of the body.

Before any treatment is begun, the breast specialist must first be certain as to whether or not the cancer has spread beyond the breast by arranging various tests called ‘staging investigations’ (discussed in the next section). Once the specialist has the results of these tests, the best treatment option for that particular patient can be determined.

Types of treatment for breast cancer include: (click on each one for detailed information)
• Surgery
• Radiotherapy
• Chemotherapy
• Biological Therapy
• Hormone therapy


Staging Investigations

As mentioned previously, in order to provide the most effective treatment for a breast cancer, the specialist must know if that cancer has spread beyond the breast. Various tests are carried out to do just this and include the following:

• Blood tests
• Chest X-ray – to find any tumours in the lungs
• Bone scan – to find any tumours in the bones
• Ultrasound scan – to find any tumours in the liver

Most breast specialists will arrange routine blood tests and a chest X-ray for all patients with breast cancer. However, a bone scan and ultrasound are only usually carried out if the patient has symptoms to indicate possible metastatic spread, the cancer is locally advanced or the lymph glands in the armpit are grossly involved. Staging tests are not necessary if the breast cancer is of the non-invasive type.