Diagnosis and Planning

• Every case of breast cancer is unique, which is why planning the treatment is so important. According to Breastcancer.org, after a diagnosis of breast cancer has been made, a physician will work with the patient to come up with a plan for treating the cancer. The most important factor will be the pathology report, which will contain information about what type of breast cancer has occurred as well as whether or not the cancer has spread. Other factors include resources -- both the patient's and those of the area hospitals -- in deciding what type of treatment plan will work best.
  
  

Types of Treatments

• To treat breast cancer successfully, it is important to either completely kill or remove the cancer cells, or to at least keep the cancer's growth under control for a long period of time. As a result, doctors will often try multiple methods of treating the breast cancer for maximum effect. Currently the main options for treating breast cancer are surgery (offers the best chance for total removal of the cancer if surgery is possible), radiation therapy (uses high-energy X-rays to kill cancer cells), chemotherapy (poisons the cancerous cells), hormonal therapy (blocks the hormones that promote breast cancer cell growth) and targeted therapies (blocks the effects of certain proteins and chemical signals that cancer cells use to grow).
  
  

Cancer Cell Variety and Planning

• According to Breastcancer.org, one of the reasons why so many different kinds of therapy are necessary is due to the variety of cells that can occur within a single tumor. Over time, the DNA of the cells within a tumor develops changes, called mutations. As a result, despite the fact that the cells within the tumor came from a single group of cells, the cells within the tumor begin to have different characteristics, making them resistant to certain types of treatment. These changes will be different in all patients. Often before treatment for breast cancer is started, a physician will take a sample of the tissue within the main tumor, called a biopsy, and will then look at these cells under a microscope. Sometimes the visual appearance of these cells will help give an idea as to what treatments will work. In addition, biological tests may be done to look for certain chemical markers that can also give an idea as to what types of therapy these cells will respond to. Finally, the physician will also look to see if the cancer cells have spread to other tissues, a process known as metastasis. If the tumor has not spread, it may be possible to completely cure the cancer via surgical removal, which is often followed up with radiation treatment to ensure that all of the cancer has been removed. If the tumor has spread, other treatments, such as chemotherapy and hormonal therapy may be indicated. Each course of cancer treatment will be different.