The treatment of breast cancer is about the management of the disease. Most often the management of the patients cancer requires a multidisciplinary team because breast cancer can be complex to treat. Surgery, chemotherapy, and hormonal therapy as well as biological therapy and radiotherapy all come into play.
The treatment of breast cancer can and does vary from patient to patient as well as according to the stage of the disease. Early stage breast cancer( stage 1 and stage 2), locally advanced and inflammatory breast cancer ( stage 3 ) and metastatic breast cancer(stage 4) all require different approaches.
Doctors from different specialties often work together to treat a breast cancer patient. Medical oncologists, Radiation oncologists, and surgeons all work together to care for the patient. For instance, a patient may require neoadjuvant therapy before surgery and radiation therapy after surgery. After their initial treatment the patient will be required to have regular visits to their doctor to check for any return of their cancer. Because one of the risk factors for breast cancer is having a history of breast cancer, patients are continually monitored by their physician over a period of years.
Beyond the standard treatment for breast cancers patients often take part in alternative and complementary medical practices. Alternative medical practices are used instead of standard treatments. Complementary medical treatments are with standard medical practices. These practices don’t actually treat the breast cancer but they are a way to reduce the breast cancer symptoms and the side effects of the cancer treatment.
Alternative and complementary medical practices include meditation, yoga, and hypnosis and the taking of vitamin and herbal supplements. it is important that the same level of critical thinking that used to evaluate and choose a patients standard care, be used to evaluate the available alternative and complementary medical practices. Breast cancer patients should discuss these medical practices with their physician and then make their decision on which practices to use in their treatment.
The breast cancer patient undergoing treatment needs to recognize that their treatment will involve several facets. They may have to endure several different treatments and go through an extended period of monitoring. Breast cancer patients can take comfort in the fact that when they are going through their treatment process they will have a medical working on their behalf.
