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62 Treatments for Breast Cancer

Tests

5	Surgical Procedures

3	Medical Procedures

22	Prescribed Medications

3	Alternative Procedures

8	Herbs and Supplements

Overview

Staging Once diagnosis is established, before treatment is rendered, more tests are done to determine if the cancer has spread beyond the breast. These tests include a chest x ray and blood count with liver function tests. Along with the liver function measured by the blood samp...[read article]

Tests for Breast Cancer

1. Mammography A mammography is a screening tool used to detect and diagnose breast cancer. Together with regular clinical exams and monthly breast self-examination, mammograms ar... More
2. Breast Ultrasound A breast ultrasound is an imaging technique used to screen for tumors and other breast abnormalities. The ultrasound uses high-frequency sound waves to produce live... More
3. Breast Biopsy A breast biopsy is a simple medical procedure where a sample of breast tissue is removed and sent to a laboratory for testing. According to the Mayo Clinic, a breas... More
4. Breast Self Exams A breast self-exam is a screening technique women can do at home to check for breast lumps. The exam is sometimes referred to as a BSE. A breast self-exam can help ... More
5. History and Physical Exam A physical examination is a routine test your doctor performs to check your overall health. It is also known as a wellness check. A physical examination helps your ... More
6. MRI of Breast A breast magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan is a type of imaging test that uses magnets and radio waves to check for abnormalities in the breast. An MRI gives do... More
7. Breast Cancer Type 2 (BRCA2) Test
8. Breast Cancer Type 1(BRCA1) Test
9. Carcinoembryonic Antigen (CEA) Blood Test A carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) test is a blood test used to help diagnose and manage certain types of cancers, especially cancer of the colon. The test measures t... More
10. Core Needle Biopsy of Breast A breast biopsy is a simple medical procedure where a sample of breast tissue is removed and sent to a laboratory for testing. According to the Mayo Clinic, a breas... More
11. CA 15-3 Test
12. Biopsy In some cases, your doctor may decide that he or she needs a sample of your tissue or your cells to help diagnose an illness or identify a cancer. This removal of t... More
13. Estrogen-progesterone Receptor Assay Test
14. Fine needle aspiration biopsy
15. MRI A magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan is a noninvasive test that uses magnets and radio waves to create images of the inside of your body. It allows doctors to se... More
16. Needle Biopsy In some cases, your doctor may decide that he or she needs a sample of your tissue or your cells to help diagnose an illness or identify a cancer. This removal of t... More
17. Nipple Discharge Aspiration
18. Positron Emission Tomography (PET) Scan A positron emission tomography (PET) scan is an imaging test that allows doctors to check for disease in your body. The scan uses radioactive tracers in a special d... More
19. Stereotactic Mammography A mammography is a screening tool used to detect and diagnose breast cancer. Together with regular clinical exams and monthly breast self-examination, mammograms ar... More
20. Tumor Marker Measurement Tumor markers are a group of proteins, hormones, enzymes, receptors, and other cellular products that are overexpressed (produced in higher than normal amounts) by ... More
21. Ultrasound Scan An ultrasound scan is a medical test that uses high-frequency sound waves to capture live images from the inside of your body. The technology is similar to that use... More
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Surgical Procedures for Breast Cancer

1. Mastectomy Surgery is a common treatment for breast cancer. Mastectomy is one surgical option. It removes one or both breasts in their entirety. Lumpectomy is another option. ... More
2. Lumpectomy Breast lump removal is the surgical removal of a cancerous lump inside the breast. It is also known as lumpectomy .It is done when biopsy results show that a lump i... More
3. Radical Mastectomy
4. Simple Mastectomy Simple mastectomy is the surgical removal of one or both breasts. The adjacent lymph nodes and chest muscles are left intact. If a few lymph nodes are removed, the ... More
5. Segmental Mastectomy Segmentectomy is the excision (removal) of a portion of any organ or gland. The procedure has several variations and many names, including wide excision, lumpectomy... More
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Medical Procedures for Breast Cancer

1. Chemotherapy Chemotherapy is an aggressive form of chemical drug therapy meant to destroy rapidly growing cells in the body. It is usually used for cancer, as cancer cells grow ... More
2. Radiation Therapy Radiation therapy is a cancer treatment that uses concentrated radiation beams to kill cancer cells. The most common type of radiation therapy is external beam radi... More
3. Intravenous chemotherapy
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Prescribed Medications for Breast Cancer

1. tamoxifen(Nolvadex , Soltamox) TAMOXIFEN (ta MOX i fen) blocks the effects of estrogen. It is commonly used to treat breast cancer. It is also used to decrease the chance of breast cancer coming ... More
2. paclitaxel(Taxol , Onxol) PACLITAXEL (PAK li TAX el) is a chemotherapy drug. It targets fast dividing cells, like cancer cells, and causes these cells to die. This medicine is used to treat ... More
3. trastuzumab(Herceptin ) TRASTUZUMAB (tras TOO zoo mab) is a monoclonal antibody. It targets a protein called HER2. This protein is found in roughly 25 to 30 percent of breast cancers. By i... More
4. capecitabine(Xeloda ) CAPECITABINE (ka pe SITE a been) is a chemotherapy drug. It slows the growth of cancer cells. This medicine is used to treat breast cancer, and also colon or rectal... More
5. letrozole(Femara ) LETROZOLE (LET roe zole) blocks the production of estrogen. Certain types of breast cancer grow under the influence of estrogen. Letrozole helps block tumor growth.... More
6. exemestane(Aromasin ) EXEMESTANE (ex e MES tane) blocks the production of the hormone estrogen. Some types of breast cancer depend on estrogen to grow, and this medicine can stop tumor g... More
7. anastrozole(Arimidex ) ANASTROZOLE (an AS troe zole) is used to treat breast cancer in women who have gone through menopause. Some types of breast cancer depend on estrogen to grow, and t... More
8. lapatinib(Tykerb ) LAPATINIB (la PA ti nib) is a chemotherapy drug. It targets specific enzymes within cancer cells and stops the cancer cells from growing. This medicine is used to t... More
9. DOXOrubicin(Adriamycin , Adriamycin RDF) This medicine may be used for other purposes; ask your health care provider or pharmacist if you have questions. More
10. cyclophosphamide(Cytoxan ) CYCLOPHOSPHAMIDE (sye kloe FOSS fa mide) is a chemotherapy drug. It slows the growth of cancer cells. This medicine is used to treat many types of cancer like lymph... More
11. fluorouracil(Adrucil ) FLUOROURACIL, 5-FU (flure oh YOOR a sil) is a chemotherapy drug. It slows the growth of cancer cells. This medicine is used to treat many types of cancer like breas... More
12. docetaxel(Taxotere ) DOCETAXEL (doe se TAX el) is a chemotherapy drug. It targets fast dividing cells, like cancer cells, and causes these cells to die. This medicine is used to treat m... More
13. methotrexate(Trexall , Rheumatrex Dose Pack) METHOTREXATE (METH oh TREX ate) is a chemotherapy drug. This medicine affects cells that are rapidly growing, such as cancer cells and cells in your mouth and stoma... More
14. gemcitabine(Gemzar ) GEMCITABINE (jem SIT a been) is a chemotherapy drug. This medicine is used to treat many types of cancer like breast cancer, lung cancer, pancreatic cancer, and ova... More
15. epirubicin(Ellence ) EPIRUBICIN (ep i ROO bi sin) is a chemotherapy drug. This medicine is used to treat breast cancer. More
16. vinorelbine(Navelbine ) VINORELBINE (vi NOR el been) is a chemotherapy drug. It targets fast dividing cells, like cancer cells, and causes these cells to die. This medicine is used to trea... More
17. fulvestrant(Faslodex ) FULVESTRANT (ful VES trant) blocks the effects of estrogen. It is used to treat breast cancer in women past the age of menopause. More
18. toremifene(Fareston ) TOREMIFENE (tore EM i feen) blocks the effects of estrogen. It is used to treat some types of breast cancer. More
19. paclitaxel protein-bound(Abraxane ) NANOPARTICLE ALBUMIN-BOUND PACLITAXEL is a chemotherapy drug. It targets fast dividing cells, like cancer cells, and causes these cells to die. This medicine is use... More
20. fluoxymesterone(Halotestin ) FLUOXYMESTERONE (floo ox i MES te rone) is a male hormone, similar to testosterone. It is used to treat low testosterone levels in males and breast cancer in female... More
21. ixabepilone(Ixempra ) IXABEPILONE (IX ab EP i lone) is a chemotherapy drug. It is used to treat advanced breast cancer. More
22. thiotepa(Thioplex ) THIOTEPA (thye oh TEP a) is a chemotherapy drug. It slows the growth of cancer cells. This medicine is used to treat many types of cancer like breast cancer, ovaria... More
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Alternative Procedures for Breast Cancer What's this?

1. Meditation Various forms of meditation have been practiced for thousands of years throughout the world, with many techniques originating in Eastern religious practices. In mod... More
2. Massage Various forms of therapeutic superficial tissue manipulation have been practiced for thousands of years across cultures. Chinese use of massage dates to 1600 BC, an... More
3. Acupuncture The practice of acupuncture originated in China 5,000 years ago. Today it is widely used throughout the world and is one of the main pillars of Chinese medicine. Th... More
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Herbs and Supplements for Breast Cancer What's this?

1. vitamin E Vitamin E is a fat-soluble vitamin with antioxidant properties. Vitamin E exists in eight different forms (isomers): alpha, beta, gamma, and delta tocopherol; ... More Efficacy Grade C
2. vitamin A Vitamin A is a fat-soluble vitamin that is derived from two sources: preformed retinoids and provitamin carotenoids. Retinoids, such as retinal and retinoic ac... More Efficacy Grade C
3. cyanocobalamin Vitamin B12 is an essential water-soluble vitamin that is commonly found in a variety of foods such as fish, shellfish, meat, and dairy products. Vitamin B12 is fre... More Efficacy Grade C
4. ubiquinone Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) is produced by the human body and is necessary for the basic functioning of cells. CoQ10 levels are reported to decrease with age and to be low... More Efficacy Grade C
5. hydroxocobalamin Vitamin B12 is an essential water-soluble vitamin that is commonly found in a variety of foods such as fish, shellfish, meat, and dairy products. Vitamin B12 is fre... More Efficacy Grade C
6. Coriolus Protein-bound polysaccharide (PSK) has been used in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) since the Ming Dynasty of China. In the 1980s, the Japanese government approv... More
7. black cohosh Black cohosh is popular as an alternative to hormonal therapy in the treatment of menopausal (climacteric) symptoms such as hot flashes, mood disturbances, diaphore... More
8. evening primrose Evening primrose oil (EPO) contains an omega-6 essential fatty acid, gamma-linolenic acid (GLA), which is believed to be the active ingredient. EPO has been studied... More
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This feature is for informational purposes only and should not be used to replace the care and information received from your healthcare provider. Please consult a healthcare professional with any health concerns you may have.

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