Survivorship careĪt Stanford, our support doesn’t end when you complete active treatment (treatment that directly fights cancer). We support you through the challenges of breast cancer and its treatment with counseling, classes, and supportive care to meet your financial, physical, psychosocial, and spiritual needs. Our team of doctors, nurses, social workers, spiritual care providers, nutrition experts, financial counselors, and others work with your cancer care team to support your quality of life. Support after treatmentĬancer Care Services is a support services hub for people living with cancer and their loved ones. We continue this partnership after you finish treatment, to coordinate your ongoing care for breast cancer and any other health concerns. We work closely with your primary care doctor throughout your treatment, providing updates on a regular basis. Check for possible signs of the cancer coming back (recurring)įollow-Up Care: Managing Side Effects After Treatment »įollow-Up Care: What to Expect After Treatment ».Regular follow-up care, also known as surveillance, is important to: It also will likely recommend that treatments be given in a specific order, to benefit you the most.Īpproaches to breast cancer treatment include:Īfter you complete your breast cancer treatment, your care team works with you to develop an ongoing care plan. Our recommended plan will include the most appropriate treatment types for your unique case. We can treat breast cancer with several different methods, often combining them for the best chance at success. The goal of neoadjuvant therapy is to shrink the cancer to make surgery more successful. If your doctor recommends drug therapy before surgery, it is called neoadjuvant therapy. The goal of adjuvant therapy is to treat any microscopic disease that may remain after surgery. If you have surgery before drug therapy, the drug therapy treatments are called adjuvant therapy. Medical oncology is systemic because you take medications in either intravenous (IV) or pill form that circulate throughout the body. Drug therapy treats the entire body with cancer-fighting medications to destroy cancer cells that have spread from the breast to other parts of the body.
Surgery and radiation therapy are local treatments. Depending on the details of your diagnosis, you may need just one category of treatment, or both: As we develop treatment recommendations for you, we consider whether the cancer is confined to your breast or has spread to other parts of your body. Working to prevent a recurrence of cancerĪt its broadest level, breast cancer treatment has 2 general categories.Treating any cancer cells that may have spread outside the breast.Removing or treating cancer cells in the breast.Slowing or stopping the growth of cancer.We try to maximize treatment success while minimizing the impact that diagnosis and treatment can have on your life.ĭifferent types of treatment for breast cancer have different goals, such as: We work carefully to determine the best treatment options for you and to prepare a treatment plan personalized for your particular needs.
Together, they will recommend treatment options based on your specific diagnosis. Your care team includes cancer experts in several fields. Learn more about the diagnostic process » Developing a treatment plan Wherever you are in the process, your Stanford doctor and care team will work closely with you to determine which tests you need to complete your diagnosis. If you have already received a diagnosis before coming to Stanford, your Stanford team will want to review these test results to confirm or refine your diagnosis.You may be here because your doctor found a lump, or because your screening mammogram showed an abnormality.