Reconstruction after surgery for breast cancer is an option; it is not required. While some survivors choose to have reconstruction performed at the same time as the mastectomy, others prefer to wait, wear a breast prosthesis, or wear nothing...
For many women, clinical trials can offer the best treatment available for breast cancer. Most cancer patients are hesitant to consider participating in a clinical trial for several reasons:
Fear of not receiving treatment, or getting the "sugar pill".
In fact,...
If you have entered this section of our web site, you are facing a diagnosis of breast cancer that has spread to other parts of the body or is locally advanced. Like many other women dealing with this diagnosis,...
It is very reassuring to know that you are doing "something" to fight the cancer every time you visit your healthcare provider. When that visual and experiential reinforcement is no longer present, it is very frightening for cancer patients.
Your...
There are several options for breast reconstruction after mastectomy. It is important to consult with a board certified plastic and reconstructive surgeon about options that are available to you based on your body type and size, your personal preference,...
The term hormone therapy can sometimes be misleading. In the treatment of breast cancer it refers to "anti-hormone" therapy. Many types of breast cancer depend on hormones for growth. Manipulating the body's hormones by blocking them from "feeding" cancer...
Chemotherapy is a systemic treatment that is intended to kill cancer cells in the body. All types of chemotherapy have the potential for side effects, some of which can be serious. Different drugs can cause different side effects, so...
Radiation therapy is given to breast cancer patients after a lumpectomy or partial mastectomy in order to reduce the likelihood of a local recurrence--to prevent the tumor from growing back in the area where it was removed. Radiation destroys...
Lymphedema is a swelling of the arm on the side of the body where breast or lymph node surgery (or radiation of the lymph nodes) was performed. The swelling is caused by a build-up of lymph fluids which are...
Clinical studies have demonstrated that there is a small difference in the survival rates for women who have invasive breast cancer and choose lumpectomy instead of a mastectomy. Each person will have to consider which treatment is right for...
