Doctors evaluate tumors on how abnormal they look and how they will likely grow and spread. They use a scale of grades 1 to 4 to establish the danger of the tumor. Grade 1 tumors still resemble normal cells and are the least aggressive, while on grade 4 tumors are the most severe. This system of grading helps doctors determine the manner in which they will treat breasts cancer patients.
Considerations
Grade 2 breast cancer is considered an intermediate level. Although tumor grade is an important factor, doctors will also look into other considerations before they specifically determine the best way to treat the cancer. Other factors that affect a doctor's decision are whether the patient has gone through menopause, the type of breast cancer present, whether the cancer is stimulated by hormones, the size of the tumor, stage of the cancer and the patient's general health. Therefore, generalizations for treatment are never made and evaluation is performed on a case-by-case basis.
Hormone Therapy
Some types of breast cancer cells may be stimulated by natural female hormones called oestrogen. Lab tests are performed on sample cancer cells to determine such results. In such cases, hormone therapy may be considered. This treatment will apply an inhibiting drug that will prevent cancer cells from receiving the hormones, thus possibly stopping their growth and leading to the tumor shrinking.
Biological Therapy
This type of treatment is similar in concept to hormone therapy. Cancer cells can also be receptive to a natural protein called Her2 (human epidermal growth factor receptor 2). If a patient's cancer cells are determined to be thus, biological therapy using the drug called herceptin might be applied. This drug is only effective for this particular circumstance. This treatment is also typically recommended for patients who showed symptoms of breast cancer at an early age (before the onset of menopause).
Surgery
There are two types of breast cancer surgery: lumpectomy, where only the tumor is removed, and mastectomy, where the whole breast is removed. Lumpectomy is done if the tumor is still small and not located in a critical area. In this procedure a thin layer of normal tissue surrounding the tumor is also removed. If the tumor is already considerable in size and is located in the center of the breast, a mastectomy may be the only surgical option.
Radiotherapy and Chemotherapy
Radiotherapy uses radiation to destroy cancer cells. It is often recommended in conjunction with surgery after the removal procedure and is often applied only to the breast area. The purpose of this particular approach is to prevent the recurrence of cancer. Chemotherapy uses powerful drugs to destroy the cancer cells. This treatment may be recommended before surgery to shrink the tumor or afterwards to prevent the cancer from coming back. One situation where either treatment is inevitable is when the cancer has spread well beyond the breasts.
Tags: cancer cells, breast cancer, This treatment, breast cancer, cancer cells
