If you have been diagnosed with breast cancer, you will find that there are several ways to treat the disease. While many women undergo surgery, some women also undergo radiation therapy. Localized treatment for breast cancer, such as radiation therapy, does not affect the other areas of the body. This type of treatment approach is recommended for earlier-stage cancers.
Systemic Therapies
In addition to surgery or radiation breast cancer treatment in Riverhead, NY, cancer is also treated systemically. Systemic treatments for breast cancer involve the use of drugs that are directed into the bloodstream or administered orally. The treatments are referred to as systemic because they are directed towards cancer cells throughout the body.
Types of approaches for systemic breast cancer treatment include chemotherapy, hormone therapy, and targeted therapy. Sometimes more than one therapy is used, depending on the nature and stage of the disease.
Types of Cancer Specialists
Doctors who are involved in breast cancer treatment may include such specialists as a breast surgeon, a radiation oncologist, or a medical oncologist. A breast surgeon uses surgery to treat the cancer while a medical oncologist employs chemotherapy and other drugs for eradicating the disease.
Radiation Therapy
Some doctors who are involved with such practices as North Fork Radiology treat cancer with radiation. Radiation therapy is often used after a mastectomy or if the cancer has spread to other areas of the body. Radiation therapy also complements breast-conserving surgery. This type of treatment is performed to lower the chance that the cancer will return in the lymph nodes or breast.
External Beam Radiation
Today, external beam radiation is the most common form of radiation therapy used for the treatment of breast cancer. The radiation is directed from a machine onto the site that is affected by the cancer. The areas that require radiation depend on which type of procedure precluded the treatment. For example, if you had a mastectomy and none of your lymph nodes were affected, the radiation is directed primarily to the chest.
You can gain further information about this form of treatment by consulting with your physician and discussing the various treatment approaches. You can also visit them on Facebook.
