Breast cancer - Treatments

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Key points about treating breast cancer
Treatments for breast cancer

Doctors use different treatments for women with different types of breast cancer. Here we talk about treatments for breast cancer that has not spread beyond the breast and the nearby lymph nodes (called non-metastatic breast cancer).

Your doctor will tailor your treatment to your disease. The treatments that you will be offered depend on:

The size of the cancer
Where the cancer is in your breast
What type of breast cancer you have
Whether it has spread to other areas and, if so, where it has spread
Your general health.

Key points about treating breast cancer

There are two main types of treatments. Local treatments treat your breast and the nearby lymph nodes. Systemic treatments treat your whole body.
Local treatments are surgery and radiotherapy.
Systemic treatments are chemotherapy (anti-cancer drugs) and hormone therapy. These reduce the chance that cancer will come back in the same place or anywhere else in your body.
Your treatment should start within four weeks of your breast cancer being diagnosed.

Treatments for breast cancer

Which treatments work best? Different types of breast cancer need different types of treatments. We've carefully weighed up the research and looked at the treatments for three different types of cancer. You can find out more by clicking on the links below.

Treatments for ductal carcinoma in situ: This is breast cancer that hasn't spread from the milk ducts in your breast. Treatments include surgery, radiotherapy and tamoxifen. More...
Treatments for early breast cancer: This is cancer that has spread into your breast tissue from your milk ducts and possibly to your lymph nodes. It can be operated on. Treatments include surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, having your ovaries removed or destroyed with drugs (ovarian ablation) and hormone treatments (tamoxifen and aromatase inhibitors). More...
Treatments for locally advanced breast cancer: This breast cancer is bigger than 5 centimetres (around 2 inches), or has spread to your skin or to the front of your chest, or to both your skin and chest. The lymph nodes under your armpit might also have become matted together by the tumour. Treatments include surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy and hormone treatments (tamoxifen). More...

To read about the different kinds of breast cancer, see Types of breast cancer.

For help in deciding which treatment is best for you, see .

Glossary

lymph nodes: Lymph nodes (also called lymph glands) are small, bean-shaped lumps that you can't usually see or feel easily. You have them in various parts of your body, such as your neck, armpit and groin. Lymph nodes filter lymph and remove unwanted things from your body, such as bacteria and cancer cells.

This information does not replace medical advice. If you are concerned you might have a medical problem please ask your Boots pharmacy team in your local Boots store, or see your doctor.