Learning about your disease and treatment options can be overwhelming. Your breast oncologist and nurse navigator will discuss all of your options and walk you through the potential risks and side effects of each treatment. We will work with your entire care coordination team to provide the best, most personalized treatment plan for you.

Modern Breast Cancer Treatment Usually Involves a Combination of the Following:

  • Surgery to remove the cancer, such as lumpectomy (removal of the tumor and a small rim of tissue around it) or mastectomy (removal of the entire breast)
  • Radiation therapy to destroy cancer cells using high-energy rays (such as X-rays)
  • Chemotherapy to kill cancer cells using drugs, either intravenously or by mouth to kill cancer cells
  • Hormone therapy to block estrogen and other hormones that fuel the growth of some breast cancers
  • Targeted therapy to target specific molecules involved in breast cancer development, growth and spread while sparing normal cells

Surgical Treatment Options Include:

  • Lumpectomy, or partial mastectomy, is the surgical removal of the cancerous tissue along with a small rim of surrounding healthy breast tissue. This type of breast conserving surgery is often followed by radiation therapy.
  • Mastectomy is the surgical removal of the entire breast. Sometimes, breast reconstruction can be performed after the mastectomy. While less common, radiation is sometimes recommended after mastectomy.

A select number of lymph nodes near the breast may be removed during surgery to determine if they contain tumor cells. If one or more of the lymph nodes contain tumor cells, the removal of additional lymph nodes may be recommended.

Both mastectomy and breast-conserving therapy (surgery and radiation) can be equally effective approaches in curing breast cancer. Ask your oncologist about the risks and benefits of both options.