Cancer Treatment Reviews

Looking at these statistics, it is clear that breast cancer treatment today has to deal with not only treatment of the cancer and survival of these young women but also quality of life which for these young women in their reproductive age include fertility issues.

Recent surveys indicate that the majority of breast cancer survivors who have no children at the time of diagnosis would like to have them in the future. Surveys also indicate that survivors who already have children would like to have more. Yet, many report that they did not receive adequate information about their future fertility and how to preserve it at the time of their cancer diagnosis and when they were making decisions about their treatment.

Before we can discuss how to preserve fertility in these breast cancer survivors, we need to learn about what effects breast cancer treatments have on fertility.

Chemotherapy drugs work by targeting rapidly dividing cells. These rapidly dividing cells not only include cancer cells but also normal cells such as those in the sperm, egg and/or hormone producing cells that are important in reproduction. Often, these chemotherapy drugs render a breast cancer patient infertile or leave her with decreased overall ovarian reserve (decreased egg that can reproduce).

Radiation used in breast cancer treatment also target rapidly dividing cells but is usually limited to tissues that surround the breast. This means that the radiation used to treat breast cancer usually does not affect the ovaries which are located in the pelvis. However, for those young women who receive radiation to these abdominal/pelvic region for other cancers can damage the uterus and ovaries. Read the full story

Breast Cancer is the cancer that develops in the breast tissues mostly in the inner lining of milk ducts or in the lobules which supply milk to the ducts. Depending on the place of origination, they are known as ductal carcinoma, if originated in the milk ducts or lobular carcinoma when originated in the lobules. Breast cancers are also classified as hormone-positive or a hormone-negative cancer which is decided based on their sensitivity to hormones like progesterone and estrogen.

The options available for breast cancer treatment depend on the type of breast cancer and the staging results. Staging is the process in which the disease spread and its progressive extend is determined. Though it is the most common non-skin type of cancer in women and is considered one of the fatal types of cancer, there are many advanced breast cancer treatment options which can help cure this disease if detected early.

Breast Cancer Treatment Plan

Once the cancer has been diagnosed, the doctors evaluate the pathology report and form a plan that would suit the type of cancer and the stage to which the disease has progressed. Treatment modes aim at reducing the spread of the disease, destruction of the diseased cells and reduction of chances for re-occurrence in future. The doctors would choose a single or a set of treatment options based on the patient’s medical conditions which they may evaluate periodically.

Types of Breast cancer treatment methods

The treatments available are in general classified as standard methods and clinical trial methods. Standard methods are those that are currently practised for the cure of breast cancer while clinical trials are those that are currently being tested for more efficient results. The standard methods of breast cancer treatment include surgery, hormone therapy, chemotherapy, radiation treatments and targeted therapy. Read the full story