Breast Oncology
Breast cancer is one of the most common forms of cancer, affecting approximately 1 in 8 women worldwide, with an incidence rate of 11.9%. The rest of the cases are linked to environmental factors and lifestyle habits.
It develops gradually from the ducts and lobules of the breast. It can spread to nearby tissues and organs, such as the skin, fatty tissue, muscles, bones, lymph nodes, and can metastasize to distant organs via the bloodstream or lymphatic system.
What Happens After Diagnosis?
The disease has various causes, such as heredity — where the risk is nearly doubled if a first-degree relative has been diagnosed — and genetic mutations caused by modern lifestyle factors like a poor diet, smoking, stress, sedentary habits, and obesity.
After a cancer diagnosis, a range of emotions often emerges: fear, anger, mood swings, and sadness over the loss of health, which was once taken for granted. But it truly was not…
Today, cancers are more treatable and curable than ever before.
Treatment of Cancer at Its Various Stages
For several years now, women with breast cancer have benefited from innovative and highly effective treatments. Today, treatments are highly personalized, based on the stage of the disease, its characteristics, the patient’s age, and overall health condition.
Four primary methods are used for treatment: surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, and hormone therapy.
Treatment Methods
When the cancer is confined to the breast and has not spread to other tissues, localized treatment may be enough. Such tumors are often detected via mammography, and sometimes certain symptoms, like bloody nipple discharge, alert patients and prompt further investigation.
Surgery remains the treatment of choice for the majority of breast cancers. The breast can often be preserved if the tumor is smaller than 3 cm (lumpectomy). If the tumor is larger than 3 cm or if multiple cancerous areas are present, a mastectomy (removal of the breast) is performed. In mastectomy cases, immediate breast reconstruction is also an option.
Radiation and Chemotherapy
Radiation therapy is used following “conservative” surgery, but it can also be performed after a mastectomy. This therapy aims to reduce the risk of recurrence. Depending on the case, it may be directed toward the breast area and possibly the axillary lymph nodes, clavicle area, and sternum.
In some instances, preoperative treatments can be administered to shrink the tumor before surgery. Chemotherapy is a systemic treatment that uses cytotoxic medications — substances that kill rapidly dividing cells such as cancer. However, this also affects other rapidly growing cells in the body, leading to certain side effects. Modern chemotherapeutic regimens cause fewer complications, providing patients with a better quality of life. The patient’s age, family medical history, general health, and the “identity” of the cancer all guide the doctor’s choice of therapy. Generally, postoperative chemotherapy begins 3–6 weeks after surgery.
Hormone Therapy – Breast Cancer
Similar to chemotherapy, hormone therapy aims to prevent the appearance of metastases and is usually administered after surgery. It is highly protective but is only recommended for cancers that are hormone-sensitive — those with estrogen and progesterone receptors (approximately 2/3 of breast cancers).
In premenopausal women at high risk for hormone-sensitive cancers, hormone therapy is generally combined with chemotherapy. In postmenopausal women, it is administered alone or combined with postoperative chemotherapy, depending on the level of risk. The techniques used in hormone therapy vary according to menopausal status.
Treatment of Recurrence
In the event of recurrence, new surgery is recommended, usually a mastectomy. In the case of metastasis, systemic treatments are used to halt the disease. The treatment depends on the characteristics of the tumor, the site and number of metastases, and the cancer’s response to treatments. All available treatments — surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, and hormone therapy — can be used to manage metastases. Some women survive for many years despite metastatic disease. New treatments continue to evolve, bringing new hope to patients every day.
Do not hesitate to discuss any concerns you have with your doctor. We are here to help and support every effort you make to overcome this challenge and emerge victorious in your health journey!
