Breast cancer treatment

Auroras Comprehensive Breast Health Centers offer patients a wide range of state-of-the-art treatment options.

For doctors specializing in breast health, click here.

Multidisciplinary case review

The patient's case is presented before a team of experts comprised of surgeons, radiologists, pathologists, medical oncologists, plastic surgeons, a psychiatrist, pharmacists, nurses and mammogram technologists. These experts work together to determine the best course of treatment.

Surgery

We offer physicians who specialize in breast surgery. The extent of surgical intervention is determined by the extent of the cancer's spread. Many women with early stage breast cancer still choose to have a mastectomy (breast removal), but a growing number are opting for a less radical approach to treatment without compromising their chances for long-term survival.

Some women may have a lumpectomy or partial mastectomy, where only the diseased tissue and a safe margin of surrounding tissue are removed. This approach, called breast conservation therapy (BCT), is followed by radiation therapy to reduce the likelihood of the cancer growing back. Breast conservation therapy allows a woman to save her breast with a long-term survival rate similar to that of mastectomy.

Radiation

Radiation therapy is a sophisticated and effective way to treat breast cancer. Through the use of highly advanced technology and innovative treatment techniques, radiation is used to destroy many types of cancer cells or to prevent the diseased cells from growing.

Our cancer center has been a member of Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG) as an affiliate of Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center since 1993.

MammoSite™ Radiation Therapy System

Mammosite radiation therapy is an innovative and convenient treatment option that provides effective treatment for some women with minimal disruption to their lifestyle. The MammoSite system involves a single small balloon catheter that fits inside the cavity left behind by surgical removal of a cancerous tumor. A tiny radioactive seed inserted into the balloon delivers the radiation therapy, focusing the highest levels of radiation directly on the area of the breast at the highest risk for cancer recurrence.

Chemotherapy and hormonal therapy

These treatments are typically used to destroy cancer cells that have migrated beyond the original site. Some treatments are given before surgery and some may continue for several months after surgery.