In the meantime, if you or someone you love is diagnosed with breast cancer, Sierra Nevada Cancer facilities are specifically designed to make Cancer Treatments relaxing and comfortable, allowing us to aid you in your battle against cancer. For more information about breast cancer, click here. http://www.sierranevadacancer.com/news/focus-breast-cancer

1. Sierra Nevada Cancer Center
Helps Women with Breast
Cancer

2. • At Sierra Nevada Cancer, we believe in fighting alongside our patients when
treating breast cancer. We strive to educate patients about breast cancer
and the treatment options that are best for them.
• Early detection is vital for any kind of cancer; specific to breast cancer, the
following are the American Cancer Society recommendations for early
breast cancer detection in women without breast symptoms:
• Women age 40 and older should have a mammogram every year and
should continue to do so for as long as they are in good health.
• Women in their 20s and 30s should have a clinical breast exam (CBE) as part
of a periodic (regular) health exam by a health professional preferably every
3 years. Starting at age 40, women should have a CBE by a health
professional every year.

3. • Breast self-exam (BSE) is an option for women
starting in their 20s. Women should be told about
the benefits and limitations of BSE. Women should
report any breast changes to their health
professional right away.
• Women who are at high risk for breast cancer
based on certain factors should get an MRI and a
mammogram every year.

4. Treatment Options
• So if breast cancer is detected, how can it be treated?
• There are numerous ways to treat breast cancer, and
the type of treatment recommended will always take
stage of the disease, lifestyle and personal patient
histories into consideration.
• Patients at SNCC experience one-on-one counseling,
complete education about options and consultation
about side effects, expected outcomes and
considerations for each choice.

5. • Primarily, however, these are the main types of treatment for
breast cancer:
• Surgery
– Breast-conserving surgery: where only the part of the breast
containing the cancer is removed.
– Mastectomy: surgery that removes the entire breast, including
breast tissue and other nearby tissues.
• Radiation therapy
– External beam radiation: radiation applied from a machine outside
the body on the area affected by the cancer.
– Brachytherapy: known as internal radiation, radioactive seeds or
pellets are placed into a device in the breast tissue in the area
where the cancer was identified.

6. • Chemotherapy: cancer-killing drugs that may be given
intravenously (injected into a vein) or by mouth.
• Hormone therapy: most often used to help reduce the risk of the
cancer coming back after surgery, but also used to treat cancer
that has come back after treatment or has spread.
• Targeted therapy: drugs that target the HER2/neu protein. A
number of drugs have been developed that target this protein:
– Trastuzumab (Herceptin)
– Pertuzumab (Perjeta®)
– Ado-trastuzumabemtansine (Kadcyla™)
– Lapatinib (Tykerb)
• Bone-directed therapy: drugs like bisphosphonates and
denosumab are used when cancer spreads to bones, to lower the
risks of pain, fractures and other problems.

7. • Our next post (article) will focus on the importance of
personal Cancer Care, risk factors for breast cancer and
preventive measures.
• In the meantime, if you or someone you love is diagnosed
with breast cancer, Sierra Nevada Cancer facilities are
specifically designed to make Cancer Treatments relaxing
and comfortable, allowing us to aid you in your battle
against cancer.
• For more information about breast cancer, click here.
http://www.sierranevadacancer.com/news/focus-breast-
cancer