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Breast Cancer Treatment: Understanding Your Options When Diagnosed With The Condition

27 February 2023

Julio Carr

Upon receiving a breast cancer diagnosis, you may be experiencing a broad range of emotions, including fear, anxiety, stress, and panic. It's normal to experience these and other emotions when learning that you have cancer and will need to undergo treatment in an attempt to save your life and stop it from spreading any further. However, during this time, discussing treatment options with your physician is vital. You may have several options available and need a better idea of what each treatment means for you. 

The Common Treatment Options You Can Discuss with Your Doctor

It's pretty common for breast cancer patients to undergo rounds of chemotherapy. This treatment aims to target the cancerous cells in the body and kill them to rid the body of cancer. However, before you undergo chemotherapy, which can take a toll on the body and cause some unwanted side effects, such as nausea, vomiting, and hair loss, you need to know if this is the only option or if you can try other types of treatment beforehand.

If you don't need chemotherapy or can try alternative treatments beforehand, the doctor may recommend a surgical procedure involving removing the cancerous tumor from the breast. In some cases, breast cancer gets detected soon enough that surgery is a better option. If the tumor is too large, however, chemotherapy and other treatments may be required before you can get the surgery and remove that cancerous tumor.

What to Ask When Learning About the Types of Treatments for Breast Cancer

When you feel like you're in the dark about treatment options and want to know more about what you can do to put up the best fight against breast cancer, consider asking your primary physician or oncologist the following questions:

• Will I need radiation? In most cases, radiation occurs after a surgical procedure for breast cancer. However, not everyone will need to undergo radiation, so it's essential to ask this question.
• What type of surgery will I need? If you find out that you need to get breast cancer surgery, you should ask the oncologist which kind. Different surgeries are performed for this type of cancer, including a lumpectomy and a mastectomy.
• How long can I expect to undergo treatment? While a medical professional can't necessarily say how many weeks, months, or years your fight against breast cancer will take, they can discuss the medical plan they would like to take with you and go over the time that such a plan typically takes the average patient to get through.

Never be afraid to ask about the types of treatment available for breast cancer patients. Contact a health provider to learn more about breast cancer treatment.

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