Breast Cancer Treatment

With this report, women with breast cancer have access to information on the way breast cancer is treated at the nation’s leading cancer centers. Originally developed for cancer specialists by the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN), these treatment guidelines have now been translated for the public by the American Cancer Society.

Since 1995, doctors have looked to the NCCN for guidance on the highest quality, most effective advice on treating cancer. For more than 90 years, the public has relied on the American Cancer Society for information about cancer. The Society’s books and brochures provide comprehensive, current, and understandable information to hundreds of thousands of patients, their families and friends. This collaboration between the NCCN and ACS provides an authoritative and understandable source of cancer treatment information for the public. These patient guidelines will help you better understand your cancer treatment and your doctor’s counsel. We urge you to discuss them with your doctor. To make the best possible use of this information, you might begin by asking your doctor the following questions:

How large is my cancer? Do I have more than one tumor in the breast?

What is my cancer’s grade how abnormal the cells appear) and histology (type and arrangement of tumor cells) as seen under a microscope?

Do I have any lymph nodes with cancer (positive lymph nodes, i.e. nodal status)? If yes, how many?

What is the stage of my cancer?

Does my cancer contain hormone receptors? What does this mean for me?

Is my cancer positive for HER-2? What does this mean for me?

Is breast-conserving treatment an option for me?

In addition to surgery, what other treatment do you recommend? Radiation? Chemotherapy? Hormone therapy?

What are the side effects?

Are there any clinical trials that I should consider?

Inside Breast Tissue

The main parts of the female breast are lobules (milk-producing glands), ducts (milk passages that connect the lobules and the nipple), and stroma (fatty tissue and ligaments surrounding the ducts and lobules, blood vessels, and lymphatic vessels). Lymphatic vessels are similar to veins but carry lymph instead of blood. Most breast cancer begins in the ducts (ductal), some in the lobules (lobular), and the rest in other breast tissues.

Lymph is a clear fluid that has tissue waste products and immune system cells. Most lymphatic vessels of the breast lead to underarm (axillary) lymph nodes. Some lead to lymph nodes above the collarbone (called supraclavicular) and others to internal mammary nodes which are next to the breastbone (or sternum). Cancer cells may enter lymph vessels and spread along these vessels to reach lymph nodes. Cancer cells may also enter blood vessels and spread through the bloodstream to other parts of the body.

Lymph nodes are small, bean shaped collections of immune system cells important in fighting infections. When breast cancer cells reach the axillary lymph nodes, they can continue to grow, often causing swelling of the lymph nodes in the armpit or elsewhere.If breast cancer cells have spread to the axillary lymph nodes, it makes it more likely that they have spread to other organs of the body as well.