Breast cancer treatment

Your breast cancer treatment type, treatment combinations, and length of treatment time heavily depend on the type of breast cancer and the stage of cancer progression. Other factors, such as hormone receptor status, personal overall health, and the existence of gene mutations, may also impact your treatment plan. All this information helps our treatment team make an informed decision about which treatment option will be most effective for your personal diagnosis, to achieve and maintain a cancer-free status.

• Breast cancer stage 0: The cancer has not spread and therefore is treated using surgery, depending on the size of the tumor, followed by radiation therapy and hormone therapy (if you are hormone receptor positive).
• Breast cancer stages I, II, and III: These stages are typically treated using surgery and radiation therapy, supplemented by chemotherapy or other systemic therapies at different points in the process when needed.
• Breast cancer stage IV (metastatic breast cancer): Since the cancer has spread and requires ongoing treatment, systemic therapies, like chemotherapy, hormone therapy, and immunotherapy, are considered the primary treatment. Surgery and radiation therapy are used to treat stage IV breast cancer under very specific conditions, like severe pain management and wounds caused by tumor growth.

As you prepare for breast cancer surgery, we present individualized breast reconstruction options and help you decide whether it is the right choice for you. Depending on your body type and your goals, our surgeons may use breast implants, your own tissue (free-flap procedure), or a hybrid mix of both to restore the appearance of your breasts. We can reconstruct your breast either during breast cancer surgery or at a later time.

In addition to conventional treatments, we offer clinical trials through our breast cancer research program. Participation in a clinical trial may provide new and promising treatment options that are not available anywhere else.

Some people with BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene mutations can be treated with targeted therapies called PARP inhibitors. PARP, which gets its name from poly-ADP ribose polymerase, is an enzyme protein found in the body’s cells. PARP inhibitors intercept PARP proteins, whose job is to repair damaged DNA in cells. Cancer cells are destroyed when they are not repaired.

Cancer treatment can bring on both physical and emotional changes. You might feel anxious or depressed, notice differences in your appearance like hair loss or weight changes, and experience lower levels of certain blood cells. Other possible effects include changes in sex drive, dehydration, fatigue, fertility issues, nausea, pain, and more.

Penn Medicine offers supportive care services such as counseling, social workers, support groups, workshops, physical therapy, and wig services to help you manage the changes you face as you undergo cancer treatment. Look to your oncology nurse navigators for help through cancer side effect management.