If breast cancer is discovered during a mammogram, it can leave you feeling overwhelmed and helpless. You might even believe that you've received a death sentence of sorts. However, great strides have been made in breast cancer treatment. Many options exist for today's patients, and you should look into all of them.
Surgery is one option for breast cancer treatment. When surgery is indicated, there are several different types your surgeon may perform. In a mastectomy, the entire breast is removed. In a lumpectomy, just an area of the breast containing the cancer is removed. The choice depends on many factors. Your health care professional can help you to understand these factors.
Chemotherapy is another breast cancer treatment that is fairly common. Chemotherapy affects the entire body by going through the bloodstream. The goal is to rid the body of any cancer cells that could have possibly spread from the breast into other parts of the body. Today this type of treatment is much more effective with fewer side effects than in previous years.
In addition to medical therapies, there are a variety of holistic treatments that one can pursue. Among them are yoga and acupuncture. These are not used usually as methods of stopping cancer growth or curing the disease but as palliative measures which can minimize symptoms and can assist in giving the patient a better quality of life.
Another treatment procedure is called radiation therapy. People might be fearful of this form of therapy but they are often over reacting. Radiation therapy is precisely focused which means it is going to affect only the specific area designated by the radiologist for treatment and not other areas of the body. It is usually well tolerated and side effects are relegated to just the targeted zone.
Whatever treatment decision you make be sure to discuss all the options with your doctor. Typically a combination of treatments is advised to give you the best shot at riding your body of the cancer. If you are experiencing side effects that are not typical during your treatment it is important to keep an open dialog with your doctor so they can adjust your treatment appropriately.
Discovering breast cancer during a routine mammogram can be devastating. You may fear the worst, but breast cancer treatment has come a long way in recent years. One treatment option is surgery. It is usually the first treatment employed, and can either be a mastectomy (removal of the entire breast) or a lumpectomy (removal of the lump.) A second treatment is chemotherapy. Chemo is distributed through the bloodstream and affects the whole body to destroy cancer cells wherever they may be. Alternative treatments such as acupuncture and yoga also exist. Make sure to discuss all your options with your physician to choose the best method for you.
