BREAST CANCER TREATMENT WITH THE ONCOLOGY AND HEMATOLOGY SPECIALISTS IN ANCHORAGE, AK

BRINGING AWARENESS TO BREAST CANCER AND TREATING IT

More than 232,000 new cases of breast cancer are identified in the US each year, making it a frequent malignancy.1. Although it can also affect men, women are the ones who get the sickness most often. Alaska Oncology and Hematology, LLC in Anchorage, AK, is here to assist with breast cancer treatment.

WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT OUR BREAST CANCER TREATMENT

The lobes, which are six to nine overlapping parts of the normal breast, include multiple smaller lobules that individually contain milk-producing cells. The nipple, located in the middle of the breast, is connected to the lobes and lobules by tiny tubes known as ducts. Fat fills the voids created by the lobules and ducts. Immune cells play a vital role in the colorless lymph that lymph tubes convey. The lymph nodes are tiny, bean-shaped structures that are reached by the lymph veins. The axilla, or beneath the arm, the chest, and the area above the collarbone all contain clusters of lymph nodes.

When a suspicious area is found during screening mammography or a lump is found during breast examination, suspicion of breast cancer frequently starts there. A doctor will perform a biopsy to determine the cause of the suspicious region or lump in the breast. One can have a biopsy done as an outpatient. A biopsy involves the removal of cells by a doctor so that they can be examined in a lab to check for malignancy. Making decisions about the course of treatment will be heavily influenced by additional data gleaned from the biopsy sample. After the patient and physician decide on a course of therapy, further surgery might be necessary if the biopsy reveals the presence of malignancy.

ADDITIONAL BREAST CANCER INFORMATION

Breast tumors can take many different forms. Not all breast tumors are malignant; others are benign. Benign breast tumors are not life-threatening and do not spread outside of the breast, such as fibroadenomas or papillomas. There are other malignant (cancerous) breast tumors. Ductal carcinoma, the most prevalent kind of breast cancer, starts in the duct lining. Lobular carcinoma is a different kind of cancer that develops in the lobules.

Please check out Alaska Run for Women if you or a loved one would like to get more involved in raising awareness of breast cancer. This group supports the financial and public awareness-raising efforts for women's health issues in addition to breast cancer.

Personalized Cancer Care Center

In order to further define the disease and identify the best course of therapy, a number of further tests may be conducted on the biopsy samples if cancer is found. Each person's breast cancer treatment is unique and depends on the cancer's stage as well as the findings of these tests. Surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, targeted therapy, and/or hormone therapy are some possible treatment options.


Stage

 Based on the size of the tumor, the existence or absence of metastases to distant lymph nodes, and other factors, stage indicates the extent of the malignancy. Many tests, including blood work, chest x-rays, mammography, computed tomography (CT), or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), may be necessary to ascertain the cancer's stage. When evaluating the spread of cancer to the axillary (underarm) lymph nodes, patients with early-stage cancer may opt for sentinel lymph node biopsy or axillary lymph node dissection. Many axillary lymph nodes must be removed during axillary lymph node dissection, a surgery that can have long-term side effects such discomfort, numbness, swelling, and restricted shoulder motion. 

A relatively new treatment called sentinel lymph node biopsy involves removing one or a limited number of nodes. There is no need for additional lymph node surgery if the sentinel lymph nodes are negative, meaning they do not exhibit any signs of malignancy. Sentinel lymph node biopsies are increasingly being used in clinical settings to assess if women with locally advanced breast cancer have lymph node metastases.


HER2 Status

Overexpression of the HER2 protein is present in 20–30% of breast cancer cases. Increased proliferation of cancer cells is caused by overexpression of this protein. Thankfully, the creation of medications that only target HER2-positive cells, like Tykerb® (lapatinib) and Herceptin® (trastuzumab), has improved results among ladies whose breast cancer is HER2-positive. Because of this, every case of breast cancer should have its HER2 status precisely determined.


Hormone Receptor Status

A significant number of estrogen and/or progesterone receptors are expressed by certain breast cancer cells. These malignancies, known as hormone receptor-positive breast cancers, are treated differently from hormone receptor-negative breast cancers and are often linked to a better prognosis. Patients treated with hormonal therapy, such as tamoxifen or an aromatase inhibitor, are frequently diagnosed with hormone receptor-positive breast cancer.


Recurrence Score

The expression, or activity, of specific genes has been associated with an increased risk of cancer recurrence in women with early-stage breast cancer. A genomic test called Oncotype DX is used to predict the chance of recurrence in a subset of women with early-stage breast cancer, particularly those who have ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS). Making judgments regarding the need for further chemotherapy or radiation therapy following surgery may be aided by the use of the Oncotype DX test.

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