Surgery

• Various surgeries can be performed on breast cancer patients. Doctors may do a lumpectomy, where they remove only the cancerous cells or tumors. They may need to remove one or more lymph nodes to prevent the spread of the cancer to other areas of the body. They may also need to perform a mastectomy, where the entire breast is removed.
  
  

Chemotherapy and Radiation

• Before or after surgery, chemotherapy uses drugs to kill cancerous cells. Chemotherapy can be very effective in reducing cancerous cells before surgery or in preventing their reappearance after surgery. Radiation uses high-energy beams to attack cancerous cells and may also be used as a treatment option for breast cancer.
  
  Both of these treatments carry side effects (such as burning with radiation and nausea or hair loss with chemotherapy); however, the benefits generally outweigh the side effects in most cases.
  
  

Hormone Treatment

• Hormone therapy is a treatment option if a patient suffers from a particular cancer that is sensitive to hormones. Used after surgery, hormone therapy can prevent the reappearance of cancerous cells. Doctors will use hormone therapy drugs to block estrogen, to prevent the body from producing it or to stop hormone production in the ovaries. The options vary depending on the type of cancer present.
  
  

Drug Treatment Options

• Some targeted drugs can be beneficial in treating cancer, depending on the type and severity of cancer cells present. These drugs are intended to stop the production of cancer cells and have been found effective in treating specific abnormalities within cancerous cells.
  
  

Alternative Remedies

• Though alternative medications have not been found to cure cancer, they may be effective in helping breast cancer patients manage their symptoms and the side effects of other treatments. Fatigue can be a major side effect of cancer treatments such as chemotherapy, so cancer patients may use relaxation techniques, meditation or exercise to combat these symptoms.