Treatments for a Malignant Breast Mass

By Dr. Kathleen Ruddy

When looking into breast cancer treatments, it’s easy to get overwhelmed. If you are having difficulty coping with the discovery of a malignant breast mass, the options may seem impossible to deal with. Finding cancer anywhere in your body is heartbreaking and terrifying, and to find it in your breast can be devastating on an even deeper level. However, knowing your options and having a game plan as you prepare to tackle the problem will help your peace of mind, and, hopefully, will lead to a positive outcome. As you go forward toward successful restoration of your breast, here are a few tips for you to keep in mind.

Don’t Jump to Conclusions

When you think you have found a malignant breast mass, the first thing you should do is go to your doctor for confirmation. Often, breast masses are benign, and panicking before you know what is actually going on in your body will do nothing but sabotage your peace of mind, possibly without reason.

Find a Good Specialist

While your usual physician is excellent for most concerns, you will most likely want to seek out an expert in the field of breast cancer to help you find the best treatments for a malignant breast mass. Someone who works exclusively in this field will know which treatments get the best results in which situations, making them the ideal person to partner with you in working toward good breast health.

SHOCKING

One in every eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer over the course of her life.

Look into Types of Surgery

Surgical options in treating a malignant breast mass range from sentinel lymph node mapping to see how far the cancer has spread, to a lumpectomy to remove just the mass and a bit of surrounding tissue to, in severe cases, a mastectomy, or removal of the breast or breasts. Your physician will be able to tell you which of these procedures will be helpful in your case, and to guide you in choosing a procedure that you are comfortable with.

Consider Chemotherapy

Perhaps the most well-known treatment for a malignant breast mass, chemotherapy is often used if the cancer is locally advanced or has become metastatic. Primary systemic chemotherapy can be used before surgery to shrink the size of the tumor and it may help to conserve the breast down the line. Adjuvant chemotherapy, on the other hand, can be used after surgery or radiation therapy in order to flush any remaining malignant cells from the breasts.

Look into Radiation Therapy

Radiation therapy can be used to treat all type of breast cancer, and exists in internal and external form, which are differentiated by whether the radiation comes from a machine (external) or from implants in the breasts (internal). Radiation can be used alone, but it is often used in conjunction with other treatments like surgery or chemotherapy.

Consider Alternative Methods

Additional methods of malignant breast mass treatments include targeted drug regimens, hormone therapy, and immunotherapy. Talk to your doctor about whether these procedures would work well in your unique situation.

When dealing with a malignant breast mass, knowing your options can shift your perspective. Breast cancer can be terrifying, but with the right treatment, it can be beaten. Be sure you know what you are getting into, and talk to your doctor at every step along the way to ensure that your breast cancer treatment fits all of your needs. With these tips at hand, you can beat cancer.

If you’d like to receive more information about breast cancer and what the Breast Health and Healing Foundation is doing to battle the disease, please sign up for our newsletter. You can sign up here: http://breasthealthandhealing.org/im-in/.