TREATMENTS
      FOR
     
     
      BREAST
      CANCER
     
    
   
   
    
     
      by
      CAROL
      SCHNEIDER
     
    
   
   
    
     
      s
      you
      may
      or
      may
      not
      realize,
      October
      is
      Breast
     
    

    
     
      Cancer
      Awareness
      Month.
      Last
      week,
      we
      printed
      an
     
     
      article
      on
      Breast
      Cancer
      in
      general,
      so
      this
      week
      we
      thought
     
     
      that
      since
      treatments
      is
      an
      important
      part
      of
      Breast
      Cancer
     
     
      I’ll
      dedicate
      this
      week
      to
      it.
      There
      are
      four
      effective
      ways
     
     
      of
      treating
      Breast
      Cancer.
      These
      may
      be
      used
      singularly
      or
     
     
      in
      combination
      depending
      on
      the
      circumstances.
      These
     
     
      treatments
      are
      surgery,
      radiation
      therapy,
      chemotherapy,
      and
     
     
      hormonetherapy.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Surgery,
      the
      most
      commonly
      used
      and
      most
      effective
      treat-
     
     
      ment,
      can
      range
      from
      lump
      removal
      to
      a
      ‘‘radical
      mastec-
     
     
      tomy’’.
      The
      radical
      mastectomy
      is
      the
      removal
      of
      the
      entire
     
     
      breast,
      the
      muscles
      of
      the
      chest
      wall
      beneath
      the
      breast,
      and
     
     
      the
      fatty
      and
      lymphoid
      tissue
      of
      the
      armpits.
      These
      are
     
     
      becoming
      increasingly
      rare
      as
      early
      detection
      and
      alternate
     
     
      treatment
      methods
      make
      things
      easier.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Radiation
      therapy
      is
      used
      in
      three
      situations.
      First
      situation
     
     
      involves
      early
      cancers.
      In
      the
      case
      of
      most
      early
      cancers,
     
     
      radiation
      of
      the
      breast
      is
      used
      with
      lumpectomy.
      Secondly,
     
     
      in
      larger,
      localized
      cancers,
      the
      armpit,
      chest
      wall
      and
     
     
      breast
      may
      be
      treated
      with
      radiation
      after
      surgery.
      Finally,
     
     
      in
      the
      case
      of
      spreading
      cancers
      radiation
      may
      be
      used
      to
     
     
      keep
      it
      contained.
      Radiation
      treatment
      is
      used
      to
      destroy
     
     
      cancer
      cells,
      but
      it
      may
      damage
      normal
      cells
      in
      the
      area
      as
     
     
      well.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Chemotherapy
      is
      used
      in
      two
      places,
      where
      more
      than
      one
     
     
      tumour
      is
      known
      to
      exist
      and
      situations
      where
      although
      the
     
     
      cancer
      is
      localized,
      chemotherapy
      is
      used
      with
      the
      primary
     
     
      treatment.
      Chemotherapy
      has
      many
      side-effects
      including
     
     
      nausea
      and
      vomiting,
      diarrhoea,
      sore
      mouth,
      susceptibility
      to
     
     
      infections,
      anaemia,
      reduced
      blood
      clotting
      and
      hair
      loss.
     
     
      But
      there
      are
      drugs
      to
      counteract
      most
      of
      these
      side-effects,
     
     
      and
      they
      all
      disappear
      when
      chemotherapy
      is
      discontinued.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      The
      final
      form
      of
      treatment
      is
      hormone
      therapy.
      Hormonal
     
     
      therapy
      is
      used
      to
      suppress
      the
      growth
      of
      tumours
      by
      reduc-
     
     
      ing
      the
      level
      of
      appropriate
      hormones
      in
      the
      body.
      Tumour
     
    
   
   
    
     
      suppression
      can
      also
      be
      accomplished
      by
      raising
      the
      level
      of
      :
     
    
   
   
    
     
      certain
      hormones.
      Both
      of
      these
      can
      be
      achieved
      through
     
     
      drugs
      that
      either
      counteract
      the
      hormones
      or
      contain
      extra
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Campus
      Women
      —
     
    
   
   
    
     
      hormones.
      This
      is
      the
      most
      complex
      type
      of
      therapy
      since
      it
     
     
      is
      dependant
      on
      many
      factors.
      Once
      cancer
      has
      been
      treated,
     
     
      a
      woman
      can
      often
      return
      to
      a
      fairly
      normal
      life.
      There
      are
     
     
      few
      real
      risks
      of
      any
      permanent
      ill
      effects
      with
      these
      treat-
     
     
      ments.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      The
      traumatic
      nature
      of
      not
      only
      treatment
      but
      of
      just
      coping
     
     
      with
      cancer
      is
      the
      hardest
      part
      of
      getting
      back
      into
      life.
      Hi