COVID-19 tools and resources: symptom checker, safety measures, and visitor, testing and vaccine info. Learn more.
COVID-19 tools and resources: symptom checker, safety measures, and visitor, testing and vaccine info. Learn more.
At HonorHealth, you don’t just get one doctor who plans your treatment. You get a team of 30-50 breast cancer specialists who map out your customized treatment plan. The team may include medical oncologists, radiation oncologists, surgeons, pathologists, radiologists, geneticists, dietitians, navigators and reproductive endocrinologists. Your team will evaluate your tumor's proteins, properties and vulnerabilities that may respond best to one or more of the following:
The most common treatment for breast cancer is surgery. HonorHealth surgeons have access to unique technologies that allow them to save healthy tissue through precision targeting during surgery.
Not everyone with breast cancer needs chemotherapy. Your HonorHealth specialists will determine if it's the best option for you. If chemo is needed, it may be delivered through an IV at scheduled appointments. When appropriate, chemo can instead be delivered through a pill you take at home. Typically, if you have a tumor that's five centimeters or larger, you'll need traditional intravenous chemotherapy. Your physician can choose from a wide variety of drugs to effectively treat your breast cancer. A "cocktail" of more than one chemo drug may be customized for your cancer.
Radiation therapy sends high doses of radiation to the area where your tumor was, or is, to kill cancer cells. You might undergo radiation before surgery to shrink the tumor, but most patients have radiation after surgery — particularly after a lumpectomy. Your HonorHealth radiation oncologist will advise you on the number of doses and appointments you'll need. Depending on your cancer's type and stage, radiation can be delivered by external beam or internally through brachytherapy, the insertion of sealed needles, seeds, wires or catheters placed in or near the tumor.
The HonorHealth Research and Innovation Institute works closely with pharmaceutical companies and other partners on groundbreaking new drugs and treatments. Through clinical trials, you can have access to the newest drugs available and help test new treatments. Your care team may encourage you to seek out a clinical trial as soon as you're diagnosed — clinical trials no longer are a last resort.
Targeted breast cancer therapies focus on specific characteristics of cancer cells such as a protein that signals cancer cells to grow quickly or abnormally. Another way is to block the growth of new blood vessels required by cancer cells. Unlike chemotherapy, targeted therapies generally are less likely to harm normal, healthy cells. Some targeted therapies are antibodies that work like those produced by your immune system.
Only 5-10 percent of breast cancers are hereditary. However, understanding your genetics will help you and your physician take the best steps to prevent or treat the disease. Consider that:
HonorHealth offers genetic counseling for breast cancer in Phoenix and Scottsdale. Call 480-882-4703.
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It can slow or stop the growth of hormone-sensitive breast cancer tumors by:
Tamoxifen and raloxifene are oral hormone therapy drugs shown to reduce the recurrence of breast cancer.