Medical therapy, or medical oncology, involves treating breast cancer using medications or medical therapies. At Tucson Breast Health Specialists, we can guide you on your breast cancer treatment journey regarding your medical therapy options.
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy involves taking anti-cancer drugs either intravenously or by mouth. These drugs travel through the bloodstream to reach cancer cells in various parts of the body. Chemo may be recommended before surgery (neoadjuvant chemotherapy), or after surgery (adjuvant chemotherapy).
Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy: This form of chemo may be given to shrink the tumor so that it can be removed with less extensive surgery. If cancer cells are still found after neoadjuvant chemo, then adjuvant chemotherapy may be required.
Adjuvant Chemotherapy: This form of chemo may be given after surgery to kill any possible remaining cancer cells. Adjuvant chemotherapy can lower the risk of breast cancer returning.
Board-Certified Surgeon
MICHELE LEY, MD, FACS
Dr. Ley, a breast surgical oncologist in Tucson since 2006, delivers compassionate and personalized care to create tailored treatment plans based on the latest research. Specializing in surgical care for breast cancer and high-risk patients, she employs minimally invasive techniques and practices oncoplastic surgery to optimize outcomes.
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Hormone Therapy
Hormone therapy, also known as hormonal therapy, hormone treatment, or endocrine therapy, works by slowing or stopping the growth of hormone-sensitive tumors. It does this by blocking the body’s ability to produce hormones or by hindering the effects of hormones on breast cancer cells. There are several different strategies to treat hormone-sensitive breast cancer, including blocking ovarian function, blocking estrogen production, and blocking estrogen’s effects.
Hormone therapy can be used to treat hormone-sensitive breast cancer in the following ways:
Neoadjuvant hormone therapy: This involves using hormone therapy to reduce tumor size before surgery. Clinical trials have shown that this form of therapy with aromatase inhibitors can reduce the size of breast tumors in postmenopausal women. Hormone therapy may also be used for the neoadjuvant treatment of HR-positive breast cancer in postmenopausal women who cannot tolerate chemo or when surgery is delayed.
Adjuvant hormone therapy: Tamoxifen is FDA-approved for adjuvant hormone treatment for premenopausal and postmenopausal women with ER-positive early-stage breast cancer. Certain aromatase inhibitors are approved for this use in postmenopausal women.
Treatment of advanced or metastatic breast cancer: There are various forms of hormone therapy approved to treat metastatic or recurrent hormone-sensitive breast cancer. It can also be used to treat ER-positive breast cancer that has returned in the breast, chest wall, or nearby lymph nodes following treatment.
Click here to learn more about hormone therapy on the U.S. National Cancer Institute’s website.
Targeted Drug Therapy
Targeted drug therapy involves using medications that target proteins on breast cancer cells that help them to spread and live longer. Targeted therapies work to kill cancer cells or slow their growth. Similar to chemotherapy, these drugs work by entering the bloodstream and reach various areas of the body. In some instances, targeted drugs can work even when chemo is ineffective, and can also help other types of treatment work better.
There are various forms of targeted drug therapies used to treat breast cancer, depending on the type of breast cancer. Our team will be happy to discuss your treatment options with you.
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Immunotherapy
Immunotherapy involves using medications to boost your immune system to recognize and destroy cancer cells more effectively. It works on specific proteins that are involved in the immune system to boost the immune response. The medication Keytruda is a drug for breast cancer that boosts the immune system’s response against breast cancer cells to shrink tumors. For more information regarding immunotherapy, please reach out to our team.
Lifestyle Changes
Healthy lifestyle choices are an important part of caring for yourself on your breast health journey. There are a number of lifestyle changes you can make that will positively impact your well-being and play a crucial role in your overall cancer care. These include:
- Regular exercise to improve physical strength, help manage treatment side effects, and maintain a healthy body weight.
- Quit smoking.
- Limit highly processed foods and refined grains.
- Avoid alcohol.
- Limit or avoid ed meat and processed meat.
- Eat “good” fats or polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats.
Contact Us Today
For more information regarding medical therapy for breast cancer, please contact Tucson Breast Health Specialists in Tucson, AZ today. Our team is here to assist you along your breast health journey.
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Sources: Hormone Therapy for Breast Cancer – National Cancer Institute
https://www.cancer.org/cancer/types/breast-cancer/treatment.html
