Breast Cancer Treatment: Options

Just because I’m blogging pink all month does not mean this is a party. Cancer is serious business. I never want to give the impression to breast cancer survivors or their families that all I care about is pink ribbons and raising money for research. I care about the people  who wear the pink ribbons!

I want to help educate, raise awareness and if possible, offer encouragement. Some fight breast cancer publicly and some privately. Everyone has the right to choose how they fight their own personal battles. Think of me as an uncoordinated, old, goofy looking cheerleader who wants to be in your corner.  If you don’t want me on your team, that’s okay. I understand.

But if you do….read on.

After the diagnosis….

One of the scariest things about any illness is deciding what to do about it. Finding a doctor or team of doctors you trust is essential. Here are somethings you may or may not know about treatment.

Treatment options include…

• Surgery
• Radiation therapy
• Hormone therapy
• Chemotherapy
• Targeted therapy

You may receive more than one type of treatment.

The treatment that’s best for one woman may not be best for another. The treatment that’s right for you depends mainly on…

• The stage of breast cancer
• Whether the tumor has hormone receptors
• Whether the tumor has too much HER2
• Your general health

In addition, your treatment plan depends on…

• The size of the tumor in relation to the size of your breast
• Whether you have gone through menopause

At any stage of disease, care is available to control pain and other symptoms, to relieve the side effects of treatment, and to ease emotional concerns. You can get information about coping on NCI’s website at http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/coping.

Also, you can get information about coping from NCI’s Cancer Information Service at 1-800-4-CANCER (1-800-422-6237)

You can read more about this here.

Another blog for you to read…..

Another breast cancer blogger visited me yesterday and I wanted to share her site with you. Please visit her and tell her NanaHood said “hello.”  Her name is Donna and her blog is A HoliMess (love that title).

http://holimess.blogspot.com/2012/10/he-has-been-good-to-me.html

And Here are some more great blogs written by breast cancer survivors:

23 Best Breast Cancer Blogs of 2012