Treatment of breast cancer

Treatment of breast cancer is aimed at the possible preservation of the body and prevention of the spread of the process in the body.

Malignant degeneration of breast tissue occupy the forefront among oncological pathologies in women. Every year, more than a million cases of malignant breast cancer are diagnosed on the planet. 

Standard for the treatment of breast cancer

The treatment regimens for breast cancer are determined depending on the stage and prevalence of the malignant process, genetic and immunohistochemical studies, the result of laboratory tests, the presence of background diseases.

Therapy of breast cancer can be limited to local treatment: the first stage of the disease involves an operative intervention. The second stage is accompanied by the application of an integrated approach, which must correspond to the biological features of the neoplasm. In such cases, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, hormone and immunotherapy can be prescribed.

Local effects include surgery and radiotherapy. To date, there are many ways to use the organ-preserving treatment of the breast, which can reduce the size of the tumor and control its development.

Treatment with hormones, targeted drugs, as well as polychemotherapy - systemic treatments - are used to destroy and prevent the possible metastasis of the tumor throughout the body.

Protocol for the treatment of breast cancer

The basics of treating patients with diagnosed breast cancer are described in a protocol common to the world of medicine. We will become acquainted with the program of the required protocol.

First of all, it is necessary to evaluate the processes occurring in the gland, and to track the prevalence of pathology throughout the body. In this regard, the protocol begins with mandatory methods of careful examination of the patient. The examination should include ultrasound, mammography, biochemistry, computed tomography, biopsy and some other methods.

If the detected tumor does not have significant dimensions and does not have metastases, the following treatment option can be prescribed:

• sectoral or radical removal of the gland with elimination, or excision of nearby lymph nodes;
• simultaneous biopsy of the removed tumor and lymph nodes for more accurate determination of the process limitation.

If the infiltrative development of the tumor and its size are significant, if the metastases have penetrated beyond the nearby lymph nodes, in such cases, chemotherapy is prescribed.

Modern methods of medicine provide an opportunity to affect the affected organs and tissues by irradiation, while minimally damaging the surrounding healthy tissues.

If patients wish, after surgery for a mastectomy, a plastic gland operation can be performed. This operation is carried out together with the removal of the tumor, or 6 months after the mastectomy.

Methods of treatment of breast cancer

All therapies that are used in breast cancer are divided into local (such as surgical intervention and radiation) and systemic measures (treatment with hormones, chemotherapy, immunotherapy). How radical the operation will be, only the doctor can decide, based on the features of the development and spread of the malignant process.

Hormonal treatment of breast cancer. More than a century has passed since when, for the first time in the history of medicine in Scotland, there was a correlation between the functional capacity of the ovaries and lactation. Based on this assumption, operative ovarian removal was performed in a dozen patients with malignant disease of the breast. As a result, in some patients the development of a cancerous tumor regressed.

Only much later after this event, science discovered the existence of hormones of the ovaries, the hypothalamus, the adrenal glands and the pituitary gland. It was found that all of them (especially estrogens) have a direct or indirect relationship to the formation and development of a cancerous tumor in the gland.

For a long time, the operation to remove the ovaries was one of the leading measures in the therapy of breast cancer. However, this method managed to achieve a complete cure in only 30% of patients. This continued until the 70-ies of the XX century, when the nature of positive and negative hormonal receptors was discovered. Since that time, a new stage in the treatment of breast cancer has come, testing of new groups of medicines that would provide the blocking of hormonal receptors (toremifene, tamoxifen, raloxifene), or suppress the production of estrogens (femara, arimidex, aromazine) in the body.

A kind of alternative to surgical removal of ovaries is one of the last developed preparations of zoladex (goserilin). It is an analogue of the luteinizing hormone of the hypothalamus, which successfully suppresses the synthesis of estrogens strictly for the required period. This reduction in the production of estrogen provokes all the symptoms of menopause, however, unlike ovariectomy, after the completion of treatment measures, the function of the ovaries is completely restored.

The drug number 1 for hormonal treatment of cancer of the gland is tamoxifen. However, given the number of complications that this drug may provoke (thromboembolism, malignant degeneration of the endometrium), the search for new therapeutic agents that inhibit aromatase continues. Among them, drugs such as letrazole, anastrozole, exemestane are isolated.

Treatment of hormone-dependent breast cancer can also be carried out with drugs aromazinom or femara, especially after five years of therapy with tamoxifen.

Surgical treatment of breast cancer. The main and determining task that faces the doctor is the restoration of the patient's health, even if in that case one has to sacrifice one of the mammary glands. After a mastectomy, after six months, you can make plastic and prosthetic breast, completely getting rid of a visual defect.

In this time period, if the tumor size does not exceed 25 mm, resort to an organ-preserving operation. Even in cases where the prevalence of metastasis is not detected, several nearby lymph nodes can be removed. This is done for preventive purposes, to prevent recurrence of the disease.

The most common types of surgical interventions are:

• method of lumpectomy - removal of the tumor and small areas of surrounding tissues of the breast;
• simple mastectomy method - complete removal of the breast without removing the axillary lymph nodes;
• method of modified radical mastectomy - complete removal of the breast, including nearby lymph nodes;
• the method of radical mastectomy - complete removal of the gland, with resection of the muscles of the chest, which are under the gland;
• method of subcutaneous mastectomy - remove all tissues of the breast, leave only the nipple for further possible reconstruction of the breast.

Radiation treatment of breast cancer. This method of treatment is mainly aimed at suppressing the development of the tumor (the main tumor or metastatic zones). Gamma rays or a directed electron beam produced on an accelerator of electron particles are used.

Irradiation, damagingly affecting malignant cells and inhibiting their development, "prepares the soil" for surgical intervention, ensuring greater effectiveness and success of the operation. In the postoperative period, radiation therapy is used to prevent recurrence of the disease.

The patients who underwent organ-preserving resection also undergo irradiation procedures. This is done to reduce the risk of re-development of the disease in the preserved part of the breast.

Modern radiotherapy with the use of a computer tomograph rarely occurs with the development of complications of a cancerous tumor, which could require stopping this method of treatment.

Treatment of invasive breast cancer

Invasive cancer is a malignant lesion of breast tissue without germination into the lobule membrane or the ductal duct of the gland. This kind of cancer can be treated by any known method: surgical, chemoradiation, hormonal or biological. The doctor can apply any of these methods, or use them in a complex. The choice of therapeutic measures depends on:

• the size of education;
• its localization;
• diagnostic and laboratory assessments;
• age and clinical parameters of the patient.

Therapeutic measures for invasive cancer can be systemic or local. Local therapy involves the use of surgical intervention and the radioactive method, by which the removal of the tumor and the destruction of residual cancer cells take place. Systemic therapy consists of hormonal, biological and chemotherapy.

An integrated approach ensures the destruction of the tumor and control over malignant cells and possible metastases.

Treatment of glandular breast cancer

Glandular cancer refers to differentiated forms of cancer, which is formed from glandular cells and mucous membranes. The glandular tumor, on par with functional cells, is capable of secretion.

Therapy of a glandular tumor is often performed with the help of an operative intervention. Sometimes such treatment is combined with chemotherapy or radiotherapy. Various combinations and doses of chemotherapeutic agents, as well as varying degrees of irradiation, can be used.

Significant effectiveness in the treatment of glandular cancer has cryotherapy - treatment of the tumor by cold, as well as brachytherapy - the introduction of radioactive particles into the tissue. Such types of treatment are popular abroad.

In the initial stages of a cancerous tumor, as well as in the impossibility of using surgical intervention, one can use radiosurgery. This method implies the treatment of neoplasm with the help of powerful ionizing radiation, which destroys the degenerate cancer cells. During this procedure, healthy cells are not damaged.

Treatment of metastatic breast cancer

Breast cancer can produce metastases almost everywhere, including the lungs, abdominal organs, skin, bone system.

Therapy of metastases may depend on the following factors:

• the nature of the maternal tumor, its sensitivity to progesterone and estrogens;
• a period of time from diagnosis of the tumor and to the detection of metastases;
• the number of metastatic foci and their absent-mindedness in the body;
• age and physiological period of the patient.

The most effective drugs for breast tumor metastases are cytotoxic agents. This is mitomycin, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin. Combined reception of such funds implies even more successful treatment of the disease. Addition to the therapeutic regimen of prednisone reduces the toxic effects of drugs on the digestive system and hematopoiesis, but increases the risk of secondary infection and the formation of thrombi.

The use of new tools, such as biological modulators, should be carried out at the initial stages of metastasis, prior to chemotherapy. However, such drugs (interferon, monoclonal antibodies, interleukin, etc.) are not yet widely used.

Treatment of recurrence of breast cancer is more often systemic (hormonal + chemotherapy). If such therapy does not yield positive results, the radial method is used.

Postoperative treatment of breast cancer

After the operative removal of the cancerous tumor, it is extremely important to visit the doctor for follow-up visits. This is necessary in order to observe whether the tumor has spread, if there are complications and side effects of the therapy.

Visits of the doctor must be done first every 5 months; Five years after completion of treatment procedures, a doctor should be visited annually.

If after the termination of therapy the patient continues to take tamoxifen, every year a pelvic examination should be performed. This is due to the fact that this drug increases the risk of developing malignant uterine disease.

If the patient continues to take aromatase inhibitors after surgery, periodically check the structure of the bone tissue.

In the diagnosis of repeated development of the tumor or the detection of metastasis, a second course of chemotherapy and radiotherapy is performed.

Alternative treatment of breast cancer

Alternative treatment is an independent form of therapy, quite popular at the present time. Such treatment can not be attributed to either standard or non-traditional.

Transition to an alternative method of treatment means a complete rejection of conservative methods: radiation and chemotherapy. The complex approach of alternative medicine promotes a long tradition of healing: the use of traditional Chinese medicine (acupuncture), Indian therapy (Ayurveda, including the use of medicinal herbs, massage procedures and yoga), as well as homeopathic and naturopathic treatments.

Sometimes the methods of alternative medicine include the use of hypnosis, meditation, reading prayers, therapy with music and visual pictures.

The biological method, which can also be referred to as alternative, is based on therapeutic nutrition, starvation, the use of dietary supplements, vitamin complex preparations.

Among the methods of manual influence on certain zones of the body, chiropractic, osteopathic manipulation is distinguished.

The effectiveness of these methods does not yet have sufficient evidence, so the use of these methods is a certain risk for the patient. However, many patients are switching to such treatment, referring to the toxicity of most medical antitumor drugs and a large number of adverse events. Nevertheless, there is no scientific evidence on the benefits and, most importantly, the harmlessness of such treatment.

Alternative treatment of breast cancer

Alternative treatment methods can be used against the background of traditional cancer therapy. This combination of therapeutic measures in I and II stage of progression of pathology is especially effective.

Here are some of the most popular recipes for alternative medicine to combat malignant disease:

• roots of watermelon to grind in a blender, apply at night to the affected breast;
• the leaves of belladonna are applied to the gland, it is possible to compress;
• juice of cucumber mad (lubricate the affected area of the skin);
• flowers and elder root are steamed with boiling water in a thermos bottle, applied externally for lubrication and inside as tea;
• juice and tea from berries cranberries, drink in arbitrary quantities;
• verbena medicinal - the leaves of the plant are ground into a slurry, add a few drops of wine or apple cider vinegar and apply in the form of bandages;
• It is useful for all tumors to drink freshly squeezed pear juice, and compote from the root and fruits of the wild pear has an even more pronounced effect;
• mix equal parts of walnut kernels, rue and honey, use to lubricate the affected area;
• seeds of a walker - a tablespoon of seeds are boiled for 10 minutes in 300 ml of water. The broth is drunk before eating under Art. Spoon 5 times a day;
• dope-grass - the juice of the plant is taken by drop in two tablespoons of water up to three times a day;
• infusion of icteric leucoid - take three times a day according to Art. L. Infusion.

Treatment with herbs for breast cancer is an effective technique, well proven in complex therapy along with traditional methods of treatment.

[1], [2], [3], [4], [5], [6], [7]

Treatment with soda breast cancer

The use of baking soda in the treatment of cancer is one of the most controversial methods of alternative medicine, proposed by the Italian Tulio Simoncini. This method has neither experimental evidence of its effectiveness, nor scientific proof of harmlessness of such treatment. Therefore, agreeing to such treatment, think, whether it is necessary to expose the organism to such risk. Be sure to talk with your doctor about this method. From the point of view of traditional medicine, soda is a rather aggressive remedy that is used in the chemical, light and food industries to reduce acid reactions in the manufacture of bakery, household chemicals, chemical reagents, dermatitis, plantar materials, and tissues.

However, the use of soda inside the body (especially regular) can cause, above all, burn mucosa, gastritis, digestive problems, digestive disorders of food.

Yes, the so-called "acidification of the body" is an unfavorable phenomenon that promotes the development of inflammatory and other pathological processes in the body. This is due to the fact that, as a rule, the products of the inflammatory reaction represent an acidic environment.

However, despite this, the use of sodium hydrogencarbonate is not a scientifically valid method. When ingestion of soda is primarily in the stomach, and not in the focus of pathology (in this case it's the mammary gland). Soda has a harmful effect on the gastric mucosa, destroys the functional direction of gastric juice, disrupts the digestive process.

By the way, with excessively acid reaction of blood it is possible to struggle and other accessible and safe means: the use of sufficient quantity of pure drinking water, vegetables, greens, fruits, berries, and also refusal of sweet, flour, yeast. The transition to a healthy diet is very important in the treatment of any pathology in the body.

Do not forget that the main principle of medicine is not to harm: is it worth your health to conduct experiments on your own organism.

Celandine treatment for celandine

Medicinal plants sometimes prevent such pathologies that official medicine can not overcome. One such plant is considered to be celandine - a healing herb, which is successfully used for external treatment of skin diseases.

Many supporters of alternative medicine believe that the herb celandine can inhibit the growth of cancer cells and destroy them at the initial stages of the disease.

Infusion of this plant is easy to prepare: fall asleep in a thermos st. Spoon of dry raw celandine, pour boiling water (0.5 liters), insist for 1 hour, filter and drink before each meal (for half an hour) according to art. Spoon. This infusion is recommended to be applied externally, lubricating the affected area.

You can also prepare ointment from celandine. To do this, you need to grind dry grass into powder (make it more convenient in a coffee grinder), mix it with vaseline and lanolin oil. This ointment should lubricate the skin over the lesion several times a day.

To control metastases use infusion of equal parts of a mixture of herbs - celandine, nettle and calendula. A tablespoon of the mixture is brewed in a thermos, filling 0.5 liters of boiling water. This infusion is drunk 1 glass twice a day before eating.

Remember that celandine refers to poisonous plants, and its use in large quantities can result in poisoning the body. Also, celandine is contraindicated in pregnancy, asthmatic bronchitis and epilepsy.

[8], [9]

Treatment of mammary gland cancer

Hemlock is a poisonous plant, but it is actively used in the treatment of oncological and precancerous conditions in strictly specified dosages.

Before you buy alcoholic solution of hemlock in the pharmacy, you should familiarize yourself with the schemes of its use:

• Scheme I. The first day of admission - morning intake 1 drop, daily intake 2 drops, evening reception 3 drops; the second day - accordingly, 4, 5 and 6 drops, and so every day we bring up to forty drops. Then in the same way, but in the opposite direction to reduce the number of drops. If during the treatment the patient feels bad, you should stop on this number of drops and take them in the same amount until the symptoms of malaise are weakened. After this, the reception is continued according to the scheme. The entire course of treatment will require about 0.25 l of tincture. For best effect, it is recommended to pass two or three courses.
• Scheme II. The first day of intake - one drop 3 times a day; on the second day - 2 drops 3 times a day, so we bring up to forty drops, then in the opposite direction. The course will require 0.1 l of tincture. Recommended the passage of two or three courses.
• Scheme III. Each patient has a threshold of sensitivity to a drug, including a hemlock. Accordingly, the therapeutic dose at which treatment of the disease begins, each person may differ. Therefore, some alternative healers recommend not to be limited to forty drops, but to bring the number of drops to a level where the patient becomes unwell. At one person this threshold can make 80 drops, at another 100 it is individually. After reaching its threshold, the dose is reduced daily in the reverse order, as in the previous schemes.

If you do not want to buy a tincture in a pharmacy, but you want to prepare it yourself, we offer you the following recipe:

• flowers or seeds of hemlock (two parts) pour good vodka 40% (1 part), insist in a sealed container in a darkened cool place. A month later the tincture is ready.

The most effective treatment of cancer tumors is the combination of internal reception of tincture with its external application.

Treatment of breast cancer in Israel

Outstanding successes in the therapy of severe oncological diseases have made Israel's medicine widely known far beyond this country. Clinics of Israel accept patients from all corners of the world. We list the most popular Israeli clinics that specialize in oncological diseases. Here you can apply for qualified help, which you will have the best world experts.

• MC Assuta is a clinic with 80 years of experience, offering successful cancer treatment using the most modern technologies, including chemotherapy, radiotherapy, nuclear and biological treatment, and highly qualified surgery.
• Ichilov Medical Center is a medical center in Tel Aviv, one of the best oncological centers in the country. The main criterion for the successful operation of the clinic is a multidisciplinary approach - the joint activity of several medical fields: surgeons, oncologists, radiologists, hematologists and diagnosticians. In addition to surgical treatment, the center specializes in cell and radiation therapy, as well as chemotherapy.
• Oncocenter Asaf Ha-Rofe - the scientific and educational base of the Tel Aviv University, where not only diagnostics and treatment are carried out, but also world scientific research in oncology. All the known types of oncotherapy are used as therapeutic measures, including innovative development of oncologists - the use of laser radiation to fight cancer cells.
• MC them. Chaima Shiba is a comprehensive oncology center equipped with the newest linear acceleration devices, MRI and CT scanners, PET scanners that are used in molecular oncology. Here, new medical preparations, including biological ones, are being investigated. A branch of alternative medicine is also open: specialists are doing everything possible to provide individual treatment for each patient.
• The medical center of Herzliya is a world-class oncology center, represented by 120 branches of various orientations. Among a variety of therapeutic measures, specialists use drug therapy with the latest methods, local or remote irradiation, transplantation, onco surgery. Surgical methods are represented by microsurgery, radiosurgery, endoscopy and laser surgery.
• Hadassah Center is a university clinic, one of the best centers in the country. All types of malignant tumors are treated here using cytostatic drugs, immunological and hormonal methods, radiotherapy, chemotherapy. The clinic successfully practices the latest innovative methods and technologies.

In many centers there is a service for delivering patients from anywhere in the world, as well as offering excellent services and treatment for the best oncology professors of the world.

Cost of treatment of breast cancer in Israel:

• laboratory research, the definition of oncomarkers - from $ 500;
• carrying out mammography, ultrasound with mammal consultation - from $ 650;
• the analysis of the biopsy, taken earlier - from 400 $;
• biopsy on the spot, its analysis - from $ 2000;
• carrying out diagnostic tomography - from $ 1600;
• incomplete resection of the breast with removal of the tumor - from $ 10,000;
• operation of radical mastectomy - from 12000 $.

Prices for chemotherapy depend on the size of education, the presence of receptors for hormones. If desired, the patient can also perform chemotherapy at home, followed by a follow-up checkup in the clinic.

The subsequent reconstruction of the breast (plastic), depending on the stage of the procedure, can cost from 30 to 50 thousand dollars.

All prices are approximate. More exact information you can find from representatives of a specific medical center.

Nutrition for breast cancer

It's no secret that the use of chemotherapy and radiation can provoke many side effects, such as stool disorders, appetite disorders, digestion, dyspeptic phenomena. To ease the effect of treatment on the digestive tract, doctors recommend adhering to certain dietary rules.

Often, if the patient feels unwell, a diet No. 0 is prescribed. In medical practice, this diet is used in the postoperative period and when the patient's consciousness is disturbed. However, in situations of oncology treatment, such a diet can be irreplaceable.

Table number 0 allows the use of exclusively liquid dishes. It can be milk, tea, fruit and berry compotes and jelly, freshly squeezed juices, broths, decoctions. Exclude the reception of solid and dense products, salt.

Meals are often and gradually consumed. After a few days, after normalization of the patient's condition, he is transferred to a more extended diet.

Food in the treatment of cancer tumors should contain a sufficient number of vitamins and trace elements that support the immunity of the patient. Dishes should be freshly prepared, include a sufficient amount of vegetables, herbs and fruits. The use of sugar, simple carbohydrates, lots of salt and seasonings should be avoided.

Treatment of breast cancer is a complex process. But, as they say, nothing is impossible. An integrated approach to the problem will solve it with maximum efficiency.