Breast Cancer Treatment

When the breast cancer surgeon removes all the lymph nodes under the armpit, this is called axillary clearance. Full Answer

Sometimes a few lymph glands are taken as a “sampling” to check for more cancer and other times all the lymph nodes under the armpit are removed.  This is known as “axillary clearance.” Full Answer

Another important discussion is to understand if the surgeon plans to remove any of your lymph nodes and how many. If your surgeon doesn’t volunteer this information, ask, “Do I need my lymph nodes removed? If so, how many? Why?”... Full Answer

Radiation therapy won’t make you radioactive.  You won’t glow in the dark, and it’s perfectly safe for you to be with other people, including your children, after your treatment.  These are common myth about radiation... Full Answer

There are three types of radiation therapy that your doctor may recommend for treatment:   External beam therapy is a method for targeting and delivering a beam of high-energy X-rays to the location of the tumor. The radiation oncologist should use... Full Answer

Because side effects are likely with chemotherapy, it’s really important to understand them clearly for you personally, not just for that statistically average woman somewhere out there. Many doctors are used to talking about side effects from a... Full Answer

All consents should be reviewed with the patients prior to the mastectomy procedure. Risks and benefits should be discussed as well as the details of the surgical operation (lumpectomy, partial mastectomy, radical mastectomy with or without lymph node... Full Answer

Many chemotherapy drugs can affect fertility. Some drugs have only a temporary effect, while others can cause infertility long term. It is important to discuss you medications with your doctor. During chemotherapy treatment and many months after many... Full Answer

Integrative medicine is a medical approach that combines the rigor of modern science with the wisdom of ancient healing. Its advantages for breast cancer include high-quality scientific evidence for safety and effectiveness; strong patient involvement;... Full Answer

Some women have both breasts removed in what’s called a double mastectomy. A double mastectomy is sometimes used as a preventive measure for high-risk women. There are also women who opt to eliminate as much chance of cancer recurrence as possible... Full Answer