Ductal carcinoma
is cancer that begins in the milk duct of a breast. There are two types: noninvasive (or in situ) ductal carcinoma hasn't spread outside of the duct, and invasive ductal carcinoma has.
Local and Systemic Therapy
Both forms of ductal carcinoma may receive local or systemic therapy. Local therapy targets the tumor directly (for example, radiation therapy). Systemic therapy uses drugs in the bloodstream to eradicate cancer all over the body (for instance, chemotherapy).
Surgery
The principal forms of surgical treatment are lumpectomy (removal of the cancerous tumor) and mastectomy (removal of the entire breast or part of it). Axillary lymph node dissection and sentinel node biopsy examine lymph nodes to determine if cancer has spread.
Adjuvant Systemic Therapy
Adjuvant systemic therapy works through the bloodstream to destroy symptomless, undetectable cancer that has spread. Procedures include chemotherapy (drugs designed to kill cancer cells), hormone therapy (drugs that counteract cancer-promoting estrogen) and targeted therapy (drugs that hinder gene mutations in cancer-causing cells).
Neoadjuvant Therapy
Neoadjuvant therapy involves systemic treatments like chemotherapy to decrease the size of tumors. Administered before surgery, it may enable more effective tumor removal.
Considerations
Various factors affect the treatment chosen for ductal carcinoma. They include tumor size, cancer cell characteristics and the patient's age and health.
Tags: ductal carcinoma, cancer that, drugs that, therapy drugs, therapy drugs that
