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.

Autologous stem cell reinfusion

In the past, ASCR has been referred to as ABMT (autologous bone marrow transplant). Research indicates that in certain cases cancer can be more effectively treated and the risks of cancer recurrence dramatically reduced by treating it with high doses of chemotherapy. However, the high doses needed to kill the greatest number of cancer cells could result in bone marrow failure. An ASCR is designed to prevent this failure and make high doses of chemotherapy possible.

Bone marrow is the spongy tissue inside the cavities of certain bones. It plays a vital role in keeping the body healthy and free of disease because it is the body's source of immune system components and stem cells. Stem cells are the immature cells that produce all new blood cells -- including red blood cells which carry oxygen to the body's tissues, white blood cells which fight infection, and platelets which help the blood clot.

Stem cells are the key components in an autologous stem cell reinfusion. Because stem cells are easily damaged with very high doses of chemotherapy, they are removed from the blood stream and stored before the patient received chemotherapy. When the treatment is completed, the stem cells are given back into the patient. 

St. Luke's provides the latest methods to treat cancer through treatment plans. Click here for more information about current treatment plans.

For doctors specializing in breast health, click here.

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