Advancements in Treatment
Treatment for breast cancer has evolved significantly for patients over the past 30 years, with less invasive options expanding and survival improving. Most important, breast cancer treatment today involves a combination of approaches chosen based on a patient’s unique circumstances. Treatment of breast cancer may include surgical removal of tumors, radiation therapies, chemotherapy, post-reconstructive surgery and rehabilitation.

Treatment Options
Metro Denver residents have access to some of today’s most advanced treatment options and research:

Sentinel Node Biopsy
This ground-breaking procedure injects the breast tumor with a radioactive substance that goes through the lymphatic system to the “sentinel node”, the first lymph node the cancer is likely to travel to from the tumor and is most likely to contain cancer cells. If this node is free of cancer, the patient is likely able to avoid removal of more lymph nodes, and the surgeon can remove just the tumor.

Lumpectomy
A breast conservation surgery, a lumpectomy removes only the tumor and some of the surrounding healthy breast tissue. This procedure is most often used in early stage breast cancer.

Breast Brachytherapy
This site-specific radiation treatment is being studied in patients who have had a lumpectomy to remove a tumor. Breast brachytherapy advances traditional radiation treatment in several ways: It is completed in a shorter time of one week compared to five or six weeks for traditional therapy. And, it delivers radiation directly to the area where the breast tumor was, rather than to a larger area of the body, causing less damage to sensitive skin and normal breast tissue.

Mammosite Radiation Therapy System
A variation of breast brachytherapy being studied in lumpectomy patients is also a more gentle treatment than traditional radiation therapy. Mammosite involves inserting a balloon through a catheter to the area where the tumor was removed. The balloon is expanded and a more controlled dose of radiation is delivered through a tiny bead attached to a wire. Therapy lasts just 5 days.

Tram Flap Breast Reconstruction
One of the latest methods of breast reconstruction for women who have had a mastectomy is TRAM flap breast reconstruction. This technique uses a women’s own abdominal tissue instead of an implant to construct the breast.

Lymphedema Therapy
A common complication of cancer and cancer treatment is the buildup of lymph (a fluid that helps fight infection and disease) in the fatty tissues under the skin, causing swelling, thickening and scarring there. It may take up to two years for symptoms to occur. Lymphedema can be treated using a specialized form of very light massage that helps to move fluid from the end of the limb toward the trunk of the body so it can be expelled. In addition to the light massage, physical therapists also may use compression wrapping, individualized exercises, skin care to avoid infection, and a maintenance program.