What is Breast Cancer?

Cancer is terrible. How we wish no one had got to know about it. But the one good thing about learning about disturbing circumstances is that one finds out the solutions for it.

That said, let us learn more about breast cancer and its treatment options today.

Cancer is marked by the growth of maladaptive clusters of cells in the human body, which compete with the healthy cells, eventually leading to system breakdown. As fast as these cells grow in number, their effects get nastier. They affect the count of red and white blood cells in our body, which are the body’s basic building blocks.

Breast cancer is a type of cancer where the malignant cells of cancer are found in the breast tissues. Although the prevalence of it is much higher in women, it is not completely impossible for men to suffer from breast cancer. The prevalence of it in women is as high as 1 in 8. There are a lot of factors ranging from genetic predisposition to an unhealthy lifestyle that can cause cancer. But there is an equal number of cases found even without any of the given causal factors. This makes it clear that cancer may not always be prevented. So, the next question is that “is breast cancer curable?” Let us read on to understand.

Types Of Treatments In General

Breast cancer is curable depending on when it is diagnosed. The success of the treatment depends on various factors like the stage of cancer, the age of the patient, the immunity of the patient, and their body’s response to the treatment. But, broadly, there are two kinds of treatments that are administered to cancer patients. They are standard treatment and clinical trials.

1. Standard Treatment

This kind of treatment may include drug administration along with therapies like radiation therapy, chemotherapy, and even surgeries in some cases. Standard treatments are well researched and have proven to be successful in the majority of cases. They have been tested for possible side effects along with their success rate on cancer patients. There is enough data to make generalized conclusions about the effectiveness of a particular treatment.

1. Clinical Trial

These trials are administered to patients mostly in cases where no other therapy or treatment is working with them. While the doctors hope that it works out, there are equal chances of these trial treatments not working. The trials are performed with the patients’ informed consent for those who have not been helped by any other standard treatment. These patients’ data is collected carefully to formulate research findings, which can later help to convert the learnings from these clinical trials into standard treatment plans.

Treatments Available For Breast Cancer

   1. Radiation Therapy And Chemotherapy

The best doctors for breast cancer in Mumbai prescribe radiation therapy as the first form of treatment. Radiation exposes the affected area to powerful radioactive rays that kill cancer cells.

Chemotherapy involves the administration of drugs that destroy cancerous cells or at least reduce their growth rate. This involves making sure that the drug is passed through the entire body in the bloodstream so that there are no cells that go unnoticed or untouched. It involves the consumption of a drug that affects the cancerous cells present inside the body. The drug is consumed with carefully planned gaps between two consecutive consumptions so that it does not affect the other body functions.

   2. Hormone Therapy

This kind of therapy is described as one where patients are provided hormones to the body that lead to several bodily changes as an effect of hormones that are counterproductive to the damage done by the cancerous cells. It is possible that a set of tissues of breasts are damaged because of the cancerous cells. While this damage may not be reversed, it is possible to promote certain bodily changes to kill cancer and gain back immunity and health.

Hormone therapy also helps in regulating bodily cycles like menstruation, which may help with recovery. If you were to ask the best doctor for breast cancer, they would recommend hormone therapy to their patients only after trying other treatments first.

   3. Lumpectomy And Mastectomy

Lumpectomy is a surgical procedure involving the removal of cancer cells along with the lumps of tissue that might be affected because of it. It is possible that a radioactive drug is prescribed to the patient before the surgery is performed to shrink the size of the lump, hence, making it easier during the surgery.

Mastectomy involves surgical removal of the entire breast. It is rarely performed nowadays but it was rather common earlier. Depending upon what parts of the breasts need to be removed, the surgery is performed. Even the best doctor for breast cancer in India will not consider mastectomy as the first step towards treatment. It is, rather, the last resort.

   4. Lymph Node Surgery

The best breast cancer surgeons in Mumbai believe that it does not only involve the chest area but also the area under the shoulders and arms. The lymph nodes present in that area may be affected too. Hence, to remove that lymph node, surgery may be required.

   5. Breast Reconstruction Surgery And Breast-conserving Surgery

For a long time, breast reconstruction and breast-conserving surgeries were not considered oncological procedures. They were only used as cosmetic surgeries. But these methods are now performed by neurosurgeons as well to retain or reshape the breast after the removal of cancerous cells.

While the treatment plan for cancer sounds easy, it involves the administration of various treatments, as mentioned above. Usually, these things are administered in combination and the decisions regarding this are taken by considering the individual factors that may affect the treatment.

Dr. Suresh Advani is the best doctor for breast cancer in India. To know more about cancer’s preventive factors and treatment options, call and fix an appointment with Dr. Suresh Advani. Don’t delay your cancer treatment as it may get lethal.