Since most cases of breast cancer are detected in later stages, mostly third and fourth stages, oncologists do not have much of an option but to go with surgical intervention depending on the severity. There is more than one treatment available for breast cancer, find out more about them below and click on each link to get more details:

1. Bone-Directed therapy: Bone-directed therapy is used particularly in breast cancer patients when the malignant disease has spread to the bones, causing pain, bone weakening, and fractures, among other problems. This type of treatment consists of the use of one of two drugs — bisphosphonates or denosumab. (Read more about bone-directed therapy)

2. Chemotherapy: Chemotherapy is based on the use of cancer-killer drugs either intravenously or orally to destroy cancer cells. The drugs travel through the bloodstream to reach the cancer cells. Among the times chemotherapy can be helpful are after surgery, known as adjuvant therapy, for patients who show no evidence of cancer after surgery chemo is then used to kill any cancer cells that may have been left behind or may have spread but can’t be seen, even on imaging tests. (Read more about chemotherapy)

3. Mastectomy: Mastectomy is a surgery designed for the removal of all breast tissue, from the breast, nipple, and areola to the sentinel lymph node or nodes. It is usually a breast cancer treatment, but it can also be used to prevent the disease in people with a high probability of developing it. Mastectomy is an umbrella term, however, and there are differences among the procedures that comprise the surgical category. (Read more about mastectomy)

4. Radiation therapy: Radiation therapy is a type of treatment that uses high-energy rays or particles to kill cancer cells. It may be used before or after surgery, or as primary treatment alone. There are two main types of radiation therapy for breast cancer: external beam radiation, which, as it sounds, is administered externally, and brachytherapy, which refers to radiation therapy internally administered. (Read more about radiation therapy)

5. Targeted therapy: Targeted therapy is sometimes referred to as molecularly targeted drugs, molecularly targeted therapies, or precision medicine. Its development starts with identifying good targets, which means agents that are crucial for the process of cancer cell growth and survival. This can be done by measuring the levels of a protein in cancer cells compared to healthy cells. (Read more about targeted therapy)

Learn more about breast cancer.

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