With advancement in research there are many breast cancer treatment options to choose from and the one you are offered depends on certain factors.  Scientists have recently claimed that they have discovered a new route to a potential breast cancer cure.  Currently there are combinations of treatments available.  The main treatments are surgery, hormone therapy, biological (Herceptin), radiotherapy and chemotherapy.  These may be given individually or in combination depending on several factors such as:

the type of breast cancer present
whether menopause has occurred or not
the size of the tumor
the grade of the cancer cells
the stage of the cancer
whether particular receptors are present
the general health of the patient

All these factors will be taken into account by the doctor. 

Cancers are given stages and grades to help doctors categorize and assess the tumor and to decide the appropriate treatments to give.  Breast cancer stages consider whether the cancer has spread and how much it has grown.  The grade means how the cancer cells appear  when viewed through a microscope.  There are three grades namely, low (grade 1 slow growing), intermediate grade (grade 2) and high grade (grade 3) which is a rapidly growing tumor.  These have a higher risk of returning after initial treatment and if surgery has taken place to excise the tumor, a course of chemotherapy will likely be administered to destroy any lingering cancer cells and therefore reduce the risk of it returning.   The grades and stages of breast cancer give a general rule of thumb as it is impossible to generalize about how a tumor will behave.

If the cancer has spread beyond the localized breast area and lymph nodes in the armpit then treatment my not include surgery but a course of chemotherapy and radiotherapy in conjunction with other treatments. The majority of people however start their treatment with surgery and there are different types of surgery that maybe offered depending on the position and size of the tumor.  A mastectomy is where the whole breast is removed with a reconstruction possible later on.  A lumpectomy is where the tumor itself is removed along with a small amount of surrounding breast tissue.  Then course of radiotherapy focused on the breast will likely be offered. 

There are many factors to consider when choosing treatment and mostly is is about how the patient feels about their options once a selection of appropriate treatments is offered.  There are no correct or incorrect answers to these decisions and each woman feels differently.  It can feel overwhelming to have a whole breast removed, so, if possible, a lumpectomy with radiotherapy is preferable for some women. Some feel they do not want radiotherapy but others will choose this if it leads to retaining their breast. 

There are different types of breast cancer and different types of cancers altogether.  Mesothelioma cancer is a completely different type of cancer and caused by exposure to asbestos. Mesothelioma symptoms can be general like chest pain, shortness of breath and a persistent cough.   Symptoms of breast cancer however, are more specific and things to look out for include a dimpling of the skin, change in breast shape or size, a thickening or lump in one area of the breast, irregular nipple shape especially if it turns inward like it’s being pulled from the inside, a rash on the nipple or area surrounding, nipple discharge (blood-stained), a lump or swelling in the armpit.

There are many breast cancer facts, features, symptoms and breast cancer treatment options to be aware of, but advancing knowledge and research means there are many options available to those suffering from this disease.
 

There are different types of prostate cancer treatment options for men who have different stages of tumor development. There is low, intermediate and high risk localized prostate cancer and locally advanced prostate cancer and then tumors that return after initial treatment.  Due to advancing research there is a lot of prostate cancer information on hand for patients to further their knowledge of the condition.

Firstly, low risk localized prostate cancer is highly unlikely to develop or grow for years.  Patients are usually offered active monitoring (or active surveillance) which keeps track of the tumor and its development.  However, sometimes symptoms of prostate cancer are never caused because it develops incredibly slowly.  If it does start to develop, then treatments for prostate cancer will likely be surgery to totally excise the prostate gland or radiotherapy.

With intermediate risk the cancer can start to develop after a several years and so internal radiotherapy (brachytherapy) or active monitoring are likely to be offered plus surgery to excise the prostate gland or external radiotherapy to the prostate. 

High frequency ultrasound and cryotherapy may be offered under clinical trials but they are not standard treatments for prostate cancer.

High risk sufferers normally have surgical treatment for prostate gland removal or external radiotherapy focused on the prostate. Internal radiotherapy is not normally used as, in high risk cases the cancer has slightly spread and has grown through the capsule enclosing the prostate gland.  So external radiotherapy is used to make sure all the cells are reached. Surgery, radiotherapy are normally used in conjunction with hormone treatments. 

Locally advanced prostate cancer is where the cancer has grown through the prostate gland’s surrounding capsule.  Surgery and external radiotherapy along with hormone treatment are offered.  Metastasis means the spread of cancer cells.  Metastatic prostate cancer means that cancer cells have spread away from the original tumor perhaps into the blood stream and lymph glands.

Prostate cancer that returns after the first treatment can be treated with hormone therapy. If the initial treatment was surgical then radiotherapy is unlikely.  If it has spread then it cannot be cured however, with the use of hormone therapy to lower testosterone levels, it can be controlled.  There are a lot of treatments available for this and doctors will explain all these at appointment.

Different treatments come with different side effects, risks and benefits which medical professionals will explain in full before commencement of treatment.

Prostate cancer prognosis depends on the grade and stage (Stage I to IV) of the cancer rather than the treatment choice.  Men with slow growing, well differentiated, smaller tumors usually have the best prognosis.  The good news is that these comprise around three quarters of tumors (stage I or II).

Prostate cancer staging means that the doctor ’stages’ the cancer based on the character of its cells, the tumor size and extent of metastasis.  Two prostate cancer staging systems are used namely, TNM (tumor, node, metastases) system and the Jewett-Whitmore system.

New clinical studies are improving prostate cancer treatment options and therefore the prostate cancer survival rate is increasing all the time.