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Recurrent breast cancer Treatments
Recurrent breast cancer Treatments
Modern oncology offers a variety of effective methods of treatment of breast cancer recurrence and metastases. These methods include both local treatment and systemic.
For local treatment are surgery and radiation therapy. To include the treatment of systemic chemotherapy, hormonal therapy, as well as the current trend in the treatment of cancer - molecular-targeted therapy target (target - the target, target). One known target of drugs such therapy is Herceptin.
So, what kind of local and systemic treatment will be yours, depends on the same factors that are taken into account when identifying the primary tumor. In the case of cancer was diagnosed first with metastases, the treatment depends, in particular, where it was detected metastases.
Recurrence in the breast
Careful diagnosis is very important in choosing the right treatment. Even if you were in the diagnosis of a variety of images, it is possible that such studies are still needed - a mammogram, MRI, CT, PET, scintigraphy, ultrasound and others. If the recurrence of cancer arose in the place where the surgery was performed lumpectomy, but no other signs of a tumor from other regions is not observed, it might a good treatment outcome, that is, if the cancer recurred in the form of a small tumor in the breast, the more likely require only local treatment (surgery + radiotherapy). Local treatment is effective in 8 out of 10 women with recurrent, localized in the breast.
If the primary treatment of breast cancer surgery consisted of lumpectomy followed by radiation therapy, the standard treatment for recurrence in this case is the complete removal of the breast - mastectomy. Repeated lumpectomy instead of mastectomy followed by radiotherapy may be used only in the case before you is not done radiation therapy and at the same time you have a low risk of metastasis.
This is possible in the following situations:
Recurrence of cancer is localized only in the last place of the tumor.
The size of recurrent tumor is not more than 4 cm and it can be easily removed.
Recurrence of cancer is not invasive (divisions SR - ductal carcinoma in situ).
Long period of time between the end of primary treatment and the development of cancer recurrence.
During the cancer is not aggressive and immediate lymph nodes were not affected.
As an alternative to mastectomy, lumpectomy, if you have passed, and radiation therapy, you can try to get these treatments in clinical trials, in particular - partial breast irradiation (MammoSite).
If the detection of recurrent tumor is estimated to be more aggressive, it adds to local treatment and systemic therapy. Its purpose - to destroy all the cancer cells that may be located outside of the breast, but not detected in the study.
