Life may be complicated at times. Making an informed choice when deciding on the best treatment method for breast cancer is important. We will discuss what treatment options are currently available and what you can expect.

Two main goals when treating breast cancer are to remove cancer cells from your body as thoroughly as possible, and to prevent the disease from recurring. In case of advanced cancer, palliative care may be the best choice. It is designed to relieve symptoms and improve your quality of life.

When it comes to breast cancer treatment methods, there are local treatments and systemic treatments. A combination of both is usually used to treat cancer effectively. Also, new treatment modalities are being developed all the time. If you find yourself in a difficult situation, you may consider participation in clinical trials, where new treatments or devices are being tested.

LOCAL TREATMENTS FOR BREAST CANCER

Local treatment means that it only targets the affected part of your body. There are two methods available.

• A surgery is the most popular choice for all types of cancer. In the process the whole breast is removed (this is called mastectomy) or just the tumor with surrounding tissue (this is called lumpectomy, or breast-conserving surgery, BCS).
  
  It allows for a full recovery if cancer has not yet spread to other parts of the body (there are no metastases). It is also used in cases of more advanced cancer in order to reduce tumor mass and relieve some symptoms, like pain. Women with less advanced cancer can usually choose between mastectomy and breast-conserving surgery. Choosing the other option usually means that the woman will need radiation therapy afterwards, but she will keep most of her breast.
  
  Another type of surgery is lymph node biopsy or dissection, where axillary (underarm) lymph nodes are removed in order to stop cancer from spreading, or stage (evaluate the progress) the disease. 
• The other local treatment method is radiation therapy. It uses high-energy X-rays, protons or other particles to destroy cancer cells in targeted areas. It works because malignant tumors usually grow fast and fast-growing tissue is more susceptible to radiation damage.
  
  It usually follows surgery to kill any remaining cancer cells. This method is also used when metastases are present in such places like the brain or bones.

Most commonly used is the external beam radiation method. As the name suggests, it utilizes an external source of radiation to target the affected part of your body. It is a common procedure after the surgery, performed once the wound has healed completely. There is also brachytherapy, sometimes called internal radiation. It is a less popular method, where a radiation source is placed inside the body, next to the area that requires treatment.

It is possible to use local treatment methods alongside chemotherapy and other cancer treatment methods. We will describe them in the next part of this post.