Home > Understanding Breast Cancer > Treatment

Treatment

Our interactive treatment navigation tool for newly diagnosed patients can help you explore the different types of treatments you may have.

Overview of Treatment Options	Clinical Trials
Types of Treatment for Different Stages of Breast Cancer	Treatment Issues for Younger Women
Factors that Affect Treatment and Prognosis	Breast Cancer in Men
Other Issues Related to Treatment	Questions for Your Provider
Treatment Research Tables

See expanded menu below.

Over the past 20 years, great progress has been made in the early detection and treatment of breast cancer. As a result, the number of breast cancer survivors continues to rise. In fact, there are almost three million breast cancer survivors in the United States today (more than any other group of cancer survivors) [1]!

In this section of Understanding Breast Cancer, we describe the standard treatments (including their benefits and risks) for different types of breast cancer.

Important information from the CDC about the seasonal flu.

Overview of Treatment Options	Types of Treatment for Different Stages of Breast Cancer
Introduction Surgery Lumpectomy Mastectomy Breast reconstruction Radiation therapy Chemotherapy Chemotherapy drugs Hormone therapies Tamoxifen Aromatase inhibitors Ovarian suppression (therapies that stop the ovaries from producing hormones) Targeted therapies Trastuzumab (Herceptin) Lapatinib (Tykerb) and other tyrosine-kinase inhibitors Neoadjuvant (preoperative) therapies Personalized medicine - tailoring breast cancer treatment Emerging therapies	Treatment options for different stages of breast cancer Ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS, stage 0) Early breast cancer (stage I and II) Locally advanced / inflammatory breast cancer (stage III) Metastatic breast cancer (stage IV)
Factors that Affect Treatment and Prognosis	Other Issues Related to Treatment
Introduction Lymph node status Tumor size Tumor grade Tumor type (where are the cancer cells and how do they look in the lab) Tumor characteristics Hormone receptor status HER2/neu status Proliferation rate Tests for metastases Oncotype Dx	Subtypes of breast cancer Things to consider before beginning treatment Importance of following your breast cancer treatment plan Quality of life issues Coping with stress Pain management related to treatment Risk of developing invasive breast cancer after ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) The return of breast cancer after treatment (recurrence, relapse) Survival and risk of having cancer return (recurrence, relapse) after treatment for early breast cancer Breast reconstruction Breast prosthesis Getting good care Insurance and other financial issues Insurance Transportation and lodging assistance Prescription drug assistance Glossary References
Treatment Issues for Younger Women	Breast Cancer in Men
Unique issues for young women with breast cancer Prognosis for young women Breast cancer treatment for young women Breast cancer treatment and fertility Breast cancer during pregnancy Diagnosis of breast cancer in pregnant women Breast cancer treatment for pregnant women Prognosis for pregnant women with breast cancer Breastfeeding after a breast diagnosis	Breast cancer in men Prognosis and survival Breast cancer screening in men Types of breast cancer in men Treatment for breast cancer in men Breast facts for men
Clinical Trials	Questions for Your Provider
Clinical trials The importance of clinical trials Types of cancer treatment trials Benefits of clinical trials Taking part in a clinical trial Questions to ask your health care provider and the clinical trial research coordinator, nurse or physician Who sponsors clinical trials Where to find a clinical trial	Questions for your provider: Surgery Breast reconstruction Radiation therapy Chemotherapy Hormone therapy Ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) Early breast cancer Locally advanced breast cancer
Research Tables
Table 37: Mastectomy versus lumpectomy (breast conserving surgery) plus radiation and overall survival in early breast cancer Table 38: Radiation therapy following mastectomy and overall survival in stage II & III breast cancer Table 39: Adjuvant chemotherapy and overall survival Table 40: Different adjuvant chemotherapy combinations and overall survival in early breast cancer Table 41: Tamoxifen and overall survival in estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer Table 42: Trastuzumab (Herceptin) and overall survival in early breast cancer Table 43: Aromatase inhibitors and disease-free survival in early breast cancer Table 44: Lumpectomy plus radiation therapy in the treatment of ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) Table 45: Tamoxifen in the treatment of ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) Table 46: Neoadjuvant (preoperative) chemotherapy for women with stage II or stage III breast cancer Table 47: Neoadjuvant (preoperative) hormone therapy for women with estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer Table 48: High-dose chemotherapy with stem cell transplant for women with metastatic breast cancer and for women with non-metastatic breast cancer at high risk for recurrence Table 49: Combined modality treatment and overall survival in inflammatory breast cancer Table 50: Trastuzumab (Herceptin) and overall response rate in metastatic breast cancer Table 51: Lapatinib (Tykerb) and overall response rate in metastatic breast cancer

Introduction

Treatment

Related Links

Visited by Others

Komen Videos

Help & FAQs Site Map Media Center Contact Us Privacy Policy & Legal Disclosure Statement
© 2013 Susan G. Komen® For information: 1-877 GO KOMEN (1-877-465-6636)