There are a range of treatments available for breast cancer.

Treatments will vary by individual, because every case has its own characteristics.  But the key factors that will determine your treatment will be based on your age, the size of the tumour, whether you are post or pre menopausal, the stage of the cancer, and whether the cancer is receptive to hormones.

The most common treatments include (and not necessarily in this order):-

Surgery

Chemotherapy

Radiotherapy

Hormone Therapy

For more detailed information and downloads: link cancerbackup.org

Surgery

Surgery is almost always part of breast cancer treatment, and is necessary to remove the tumour. This can be in the form of a lumpectomy, where only the lump itself is removed, or a full mastectomy, where the entire breast is removed.  Very often surgery also includes the removal of the lymph glands under the armpit on the affected side.  This helps to reduce the chances of the cancer spreading through the lymph system; lympheodema (swelling of the arm) is a risk of having the lymph nodes removed, but the condition can be managed with exercise and some simple precautions.

Chemotherapy

This is the use of anti-cancer drugs to kill cancer cells. It is not used in all cases

of breast cancer, but where it is prescribed, it can be given either before surgery

(to reduce the size of the lump) or after surgery to mop up any cancer cells that

may have spread into the blood stream or elsewhere in the body.

The chemotherapy drugs are given by intravenous injection or in tablet form,

depending on the type and stage of cancer.  A full course of chemotherapy takes

between 4-6 months. Intravenous chemotherapy is administered in hospital as an

outpatient. The treatment is administered over a few hours, followed by  a 2-3

week break before the next treatment.

In the past, the side effects of chemotherapy could be very difficult to bear, particularly nausea. Today, however, doctors prescribe a combination of drugs that help to prevent nausea and help patients enjoy a relatively comfortable quality of life whilst on treatment.  A reduced resistance to infection, hair loss, sore mouth and taste changes are some of the other side effects that can happen with chemotherapy, but again many of these can be controlled with mediciines. 

Radiotherapy

Radiotherapy uses high-energy rays to destroy cancer cells.  It is most often used after surgery to treat the area directly around the scar tissue, to kill off any cells that may not have been picked up during surgery.  It is a completely painless procedure and has few side-effects.

Radiotherapy is usually administered as a course of between 3-6 weeks of daily sessions, between Monday and Friday with rests at the weekend.  Each session is administered at the hospital and takes no more than between 5-15 minutes.   Radiotherapy is not painful, but it does involves lying still on a special bed whilst the treatment is being given.

The most common side-effects of radiotherapy are redness and soreness of the skin and fatigue. These will start to disappear after the treatment, but you may feel tired for several months or more after treatment. Resting and getting enough sleep is very important.

Hormone Therapies

Some types of breast cancer have cancer cells that have receptors for oestrogen and/or progesterone on their surface – in simple terms, in these types of cancer, it is the hormones that are feeding the cancer and making it grow.  Stopping the hormones from attaching to the cancer cells, can be an effective treatment in helping to prevent the cancer from recurring.

The type of hormone therapy administered will depend on what type of cancer you had, the stage and grade of your cancer, and whether you are pre or post menopausal.