Paget"s Disease - Diagnosis and Treatment - Part 2
After surgery has been carried out, further patient treatment may be required if deemed necessary.
This treatment is called "adjuvant treatment," and usually consists of chemotherapy, radiotherapy, hormone (endocrine) therapy, or targeted therapies to help reduce the risk of cancerous cells returning to either the breast, or another part of the body.
Treatments are carried out under the following circumstances: 1.
Chemotherapy - is usually given as a first option after surgery, when the cancer has been diagnosed as invasive breast cancer (it is not usually used to treat DCIS [ductal carcinoma in-situ]), and may depend on the following: cancer staging, tumor size, and whether lymph nodes are affected or not.
2.
Radiotherapy - is usually given if breast-conserving surgery is going to be received after surgery has been carried out for invasive breast cancer; to help reduce the risk of the cancer returning to the same area of the affected breast.
It is also used after breast-conserving surgery for DCIS on many occasions.
It is possible that radiotherapy will be recommended after mastectomy where there has been an invasion of cancerous cells under the arm; however, this will be discussed by the surgeon due to its side-effects which may include: tiredness and skin reactions (short-term), and permanent damage to healthy cells (long-term).
3.
Hormone (endocrine) Therapy - is usually given to help stimulate the growth of some types of breast cancer.
It tends to work in different ways by blocking the effect that oestrogen hormones have on cancerous cells.
However, hormone therapy will only be used if the breast cancer has receptors within the cells.
Receptors bind to the oestrogen hormones which can help the cancerous cells stimulate growth.
They are commonly known as oestrogen receptor positive, or ER+ breast cancer.
All types of breast cancer are tested, either during biopsy, or after surgery, for oestrogen receptors.
4.
Targeted Therapies - are where drugs are used to try to block both the growth, and metastasis (spread) of cancer to other parts of the body.
These types of therapies are more effective and less harmful to the patient's cells than many other types of cancer treatments.
One of the most commonly used targeted therapy is "trastuzumab (Herceptin).
" However, trastuzumab, will only be beneficial to patients when they are considered to have high levels of HER2 (HER2 positive [cancer cell growth protein]), and will not be beneficial to patients where their HER2 levels are found to be negative.
HER2 levels are usually analyzed during biopsy or after surgery.
This concludes the 2-part series of "Paget's Disease - Diagnosis and Treatment - Part 1 & 2.
"
This treatment is called "adjuvant treatment," and usually consists of chemotherapy, radiotherapy, hormone (endocrine) therapy, or targeted therapies to help reduce the risk of cancerous cells returning to either the breast, or another part of the body.
Treatments are carried out under the following circumstances: 1.
Chemotherapy - is usually given as a first option after surgery, when the cancer has been diagnosed as invasive breast cancer (it is not usually used to treat DCIS [ductal carcinoma in-situ]), and may depend on the following: cancer staging, tumor size, and whether lymph nodes are affected or not.
2.
Radiotherapy - is usually given if breast-conserving surgery is going to be received after surgery has been carried out for invasive breast cancer; to help reduce the risk of the cancer returning to the same area of the affected breast.
It is also used after breast-conserving surgery for DCIS on many occasions.
It is possible that radiotherapy will be recommended after mastectomy where there has been an invasion of cancerous cells under the arm; however, this will be discussed by the surgeon due to its side-effects which may include: tiredness and skin reactions (short-term), and permanent damage to healthy cells (long-term).
3.
Hormone (endocrine) Therapy - is usually given to help stimulate the growth of some types of breast cancer.
It tends to work in different ways by blocking the effect that oestrogen hormones have on cancerous cells.
However, hormone therapy will only be used if the breast cancer has receptors within the cells.
Receptors bind to the oestrogen hormones which can help the cancerous cells stimulate growth.
They are commonly known as oestrogen receptor positive, or ER+ breast cancer.
All types of breast cancer are tested, either during biopsy, or after surgery, for oestrogen receptors.
4.
Targeted Therapies - are where drugs are used to try to block both the growth, and metastasis (spread) of cancer to other parts of the body.
These types of therapies are more effective and less harmful to the patient's cells than many other types of cancer treatments.
One of the most commonly used targeted therapy is "trastuzumab (Herceptin).
" However, trastuzumab, will only be beneficial to patients when they are considered to have high levels of HER2 (HER2 positive [cancer cell growth protein]), and will not be beneficial to patients where their HER2 levels are found to be negative.
HER2 levels are usually analyzed during biopsy or after surgery.
This concludes the 2-part series of "Paget's Disease - Diagnosis and Treatment - Part 1 & 2.
"