Breast Cancer Diagnosis & Treatment | AMO Oncology Centre

address Room 1311-1312, 13/F, Ocean Center, Harbour City, 5 Canton Road, Tsim Sha Tsui
Breast cancer Treatment
Breast cancer

Breast cancer results from lesion of breast cell tissues most often found in mammary glands or the inside of breast lobes. Cancer occurring in mammary glands is known as breast cancer, and cancer occurring in breast lobes is known as lobular carcinoma. Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women. However, regular breast self-check can contribute to early prevention and treatment of cancer, thereby improving the cure prospect.

Treatment
Radiotherapy
It kills residual cancer cells in the body by high-energy rays to reduce the chance of recurrence. This therapy is mostly used after a breast cancer surgery as it is not confined to body parts that the surgery is performed on. It is also not affected by the physical condition of the patients and can preserve the appearance and function of the breast. However, its side effects include skin redness and pain, nausea, fatigue, a breast texture that feels slightly harder, lymphedema, difficulty breathing and rib pain.
Chemotherapy
Anticancer drugs are used to kill tumors, but it also damages normal cells which have faster metabolism. First-generation chemotherapy (AC) effectively reduces the risk of recurrence of breast cancer, but may give rise to such side effects as heart failure and acute sepsis; second-generation chemotherapy (TC) can achieve the same effect without the above-mentioned side effects. The survival rate of the latter is 87%, while that of the former is 82%; the relapse-free rate of the latter is 87%, 12% higher than that of the former. Chemotherapy may also cause other side effects including fatigue, nausea, vomiting, mouth ulcers, hair loss and anemia.
Hormone therapy
The treatment approaches include: (1) directly reducing hormone production, such as surgical removal of ovaries; (2) blocking female hormone receptors using drugs; and (3) eliminating hormone receptors directly by drugs to reduce the number of hormone receptors.
Targeted therapy
Currently in Hong Kong, about 25% breast cancer patients are positive for HER2 (human epidermal growth factor receptor 2). New targeted therapy drugs can enter cancer cells to intercept the transmission paths of HER2 receptors, thereby inhibiting the proliferation of cancer cells. If such HER2-positive cancer cells have begun to spread, by adopting this therapy, the control over the tumor can increase by about 50%, the chance of deterioration can fall by about 30%, and the patient may live 5-6 months longer.
Reference
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