What treatments are needed for breast cancer?

  If you have breast cancer, it is not that scary. With the development of science in recent years, the understanding of breast cancer has become more and more profound. Breast cancer is one of the most effective tumors among solid tumors, and the five-year survival rate for stage I breast cancer can now reach 98% and 80% for stage II breast cancer.  At present, there has been a great development in the treatment of breast cancer, such as surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, endocrine, targeted therapy and bisphosphonate therapy, which are the six magic weapons that have become very effective means of breast cancer treatment. Comprehensive treatment for breast cancer refers to a combination of surgery as the main treatment, supplemented by one or more of chemotherapy, radiation therapy and endocrine therapy depending on the situation. However, we should tell you that comprehensive treatment for breast cancer is not the more treatment the better, the more expensive the better, the newer the better, but should be based on the patient’s specific conditions, such as early or late stage of the disease, metastatic site, age, whether or not menopause, receptor positive or not, and the effect of previous treatment, etc., and after full consideration, we should arrange individualized standardized treatment in a scientific and reasonable way to minimize recurrence and metastasis. To minimize the recurrence and metastasis, increase the survival rate and improve the quality of life.  The first choice of treatment for breast cancer is surgical resection. For early, intermediate and late stage breast cancer patients, surgery should be the first choice as long as they are physically able to tolerate surgery. The purpose of surgical treatment is to maximize local control of the primary tumor and regional lymph nodes, reduce local recurrence, and improve survival rate. However, the decision of surgery must be based on the site of the tumor, the age of the patient and the experience of the surgeon, and the results of pathological examination.  Radical mastectomy with breast preservation is a humanized treatment modality. In recent years, with the improvement of breast cancer early diagnosis system, the diagnosis rate of early breast cancer has been greatly improved. More and more patients will receive breast-conserving treatment, and the rate of breast-conserving surgery is now 50% in Europe and the United States. Both functional and cosmetic results can be achieved perfectly. However, the breast preservation rate in China still needs to be further improved because of the backward concept and the idea of “saving life is important” when facing the blow of the disease makes many women give up the chance to preserve their breasts.  Chemotherapy is the use of chemical drugs to kill tumor cells, the purpose of which is to eliminate the microscopic cancer lesions remaining after surgery, thus prolonging the recurrence-free survival period, reducing the mortality rate and improving the survival rate. Chemotherapy is applied according to the course of treatment, generally 6 courses of treatment, each course of treatment is usually 3 weeks.  Radiotherapy is to kill tumor cells with high-energy X-rays, electron beams or radioisotopes to achieve its therapeutic purpose. Radiation therapy is required for positive lymph nodes, positive cut margins and masses over 5 cm in diameter.  Endocrine therapy is mainly used for ER PR positive patients and is usually given for a period of 5 years. Endocrine therapy requires knowledge of the patient’s menstrual status. If not yet menopausal, treatment with triamcinolone acetonide is used. If post-menopausal, treatment with aromatase inhibitors, such as letrozole, anastrozole, exemestane, etc.