According to the latest studies made by American Cancer Society (ACS) more than 190,000 women were affected with breast cancer simply in the year 1996 (ACS Breast). In terms of severity, breast cancer comes simply after the lung cancer, being the cause of death for hundreds of women every year. However the good side is that many options are available to treat the patients of breast cancer.
Even though prevention is the better way for treating any kind of disease, no such prevention way has been discovered as yet for the breast cancer. The recommendation from ACS suggested the women in the age group of 20 and more, to go through regular self examination process of their breast. The recommendation also asked the women to go for clinical checkup for every 3 years. (ACS Breast). Tumors can also be detected by using mammography; still the issue of when and how many times the mammograms can be done is still debatable. Mammography has been proved to be an effective way to diagnose the cancerous proaty of any tumor.
There are two main kinds how to cure breast cancer, which are local and systemic. Local treatments are done by surgical process and radiation therapy to control or kill the cancerous cells in the affected region. The systemic treatments are done with the help of hormonal therapy and chemotherapy to kill or control the development of the cancerous cells at any places of the body.
Being the common way to treat the breast cancer, the surgery or mastectomy basically deals with removing whole or part of the breast. There are different kinds of surgery ways for breast cancer. However, doctors might like to avoid this treatment way for the harmful after effects such as arm swelling, difficulty in moving muster and weakening in the nearest arm. In case there is no other way out than mastectomy, then the patient must go for breast reconstruction process done after the surgery.
Another known treatment way for breast cancer is the radiation therapy, which destroys the cancerous cells and holds back the development process by using x-rays in high degree. The source of radiation can be any external source or the radioactive pellets inserted into the breasts or both. To get the radiation from outside, patients have to go to the clinic or health center in a daily basis.
If the radiation is done as a post-oaative treatment of breast sparing surgery, then the patients have to take the radiation for a aiod of five to six weeks considering five days of radiation session a week. In the end, an additional booster dose of radiation is given to the affected area. Implant radiation requires the patient to get admitted into the hospital. The radiation therapy can generate side-effects like breast swelling and dehydrated skin at the radiated area of the body.
The breast-sparing surgery is another variation of the surgical treatment, which consists of lumpectomies and segmental mastectomies. This surgery is done by removing the cancerous lump without hamaing the surrounding breast tissue. The patient must undergo radiation therapy as a post oaative procedure for destroying the remaining cancerous cells in that region. To be on the safe side, doctors also prefer to take away the lymph nodes present under the arm to safeguard the lymphatic system against cancer.


