Breast cancer treatment Your Way To Success!

 Following are the Options for breast cancer treatment in India :

• Surgery:

Breast-conserving surgery also known as breast-sparing surgery, lumpectomy, partial mastectomy, quadrantectomy, and segmental mastectomy removes cancer and the healthy tissues around the breast but does not remove the breast. Some lymph nodes under the arms may be removed for biopsy. If the cancer is near the chest wall, part of it may be removed. 

• Mastectomy:

Mastectomy is the removal of the entire breast, surrounding tissue and possibly tissues nearby. There are various mastectomy surgeries available depending upon how much tissue is removed. 

1. Double mastectomy is when both breasts are removed.

2. Radical mastectomy includes the removal of lymph nodes, the entire breast and the pectoral muscles under the breast.

3. Nipple-sparing mastectomy keeps the breast skin and nipple intact followed by immediate breast reconstruction surgery. 

4. Simple mastectomy includes removal of the entire breast.

5. Skin-sparing mastectomy includes keeping the skin over the breast intact and breast reconstruction surgery is planned immediately. 

6. Modified radical mastectomy implies the removal of the breast along with the removal of lymph nodes under the arm. 

• Radiation Therapy:

High energy beams of radiation are used to kill targeted cancer cells. Radiation therapy can be used after breast cancer surgery or used in addition to chemotherapy for widespread cancer. This treatment does not have any side effects but can cause swelling of the area, tiredness, or a sunburn-like effect. Radiation therapy can be administered in two ways:

1. External beam radiation: 

A beam of radiation is focused on the affected area by an external machine. The treatment is usually given five days a week for five to six weeks. 

2. Brachytherapy:

This involves radioactive seeds or pellets that are implanted into the breast next to cancer.

• Chemotherapy:

Chemotherapy drugs are given to kill cancer cells that are present anywhere in the body. It can be administered by a pill, IV infusion, or by a brief IV injection depending upon the drug. Sometimes, chemotherapy is given after the surgery to prevent cancer from recurring. Chemotherapy has some side effects like infection, nausea, fatigue, and hair loss.

• Hormone therapy:

Hormone therapy can slow the growth of hormone receptor-positive tumors by blocking the cancer cells from receiving the hormones. This is usually given after the surgery but it can also be given to the women to reduce the chance of developing breast cancer in high-risk women.  

• Targeted drug therapies:

This is the new treatment for breast cancer. They utilize specific proteins within cancer cells, like the HER-2 protein. Targeted therapies can stop the HER-2 protein from stimulating tumor growth in cancer cells that have this protein. They have fewer side effects compared to other therapies as they only target cancer cells. They are used in combination with chemotherapy. 

Your cancer care team will discuss treatment options with you. The average cost for breast cancer treatment in India through a private practitioner would be Rs. 5-6 lakh including investigation, surgery, and radiation therapy. 

Visit HBG Medical Assistance for more information