Why So Many Types of Breast Cancer Treatments?

Successfully treating breast cancer means getting rid of the cancer or getting it under control for an extended period of time. But because a breast cancer is made up of many different kinds of cancer cells, getting rid of all those cells can require different types of treatments.

Your treatment plan may include a combination of the following treatments:

• Surgery
• Radiation therapy
• Chemotherapy
• Hormonal therapy (anti-estrogen therapy)
• Targeted therapies (such as Herceptin, Tykerb, Avastin)

Designing your personal treatment strategy to treat breast cancer requires a lot of careful thought. The ideal treatment plan works against all the things inside the cells that caused the cancer to develop, are making it grow, and may make it spread to other parts of the body.

In this section, you can read about cancer cells and why different types of treatment are necessary.

• Every Cancer is Different
• Different Cancer Cells Need Different Treatments
• Tumor Resistance

For help understanding your diagnosis and treatment options, you can also use My Breast Cancer Coach. My Breast Cancer Coach is a questionnaire designed to help you better understand your type of breast cancer so you can focus on the information that's most relevant to you.