Treatment Tuesday: Determining Factors for Course of Treatment
- Ana Pilar Aspuru
- Mar 12, 2019
- 1 min read
We are kicking off our #TreatmentTuesday by discussing what factors are considered when choosing the right treatment plan for each individual! Before diving into the different treatments, I wanted to give an overview of the factors to consider when choosing a treatment plan that is right for you.
With that being said, do you know what are some factors considered when determining the treatment plan for breast cancer patients?
Many of you know that the stage of the tumor in your breast greatly determine which treatment plan to follow. A tumor that is more advanced will need more aggressive treatment and usually require additional treatments, such as chemotherapy, before or after the surgery to remove the tumor. Additionally, the type of breast cancer and its subtype will affect the course of treatment. For example, hormone therapy cannot be used for breast cancer types that do not test positive for certain hormone receptors, such as estrogen and progesterone. Furthermore, many treatments not only attack tumor cells, but also healthy cells as well, which is why the patient’s age and overall health is considered to administer the appropriate dose of chemotherapy or radiation, for example. Lastly gene mutations and genomic markers from genomic testing, such as Oncotype DX™ and MammaPrint™are used to determine appropriate treatments to prevent the reoccurrence of the cancer.
Recap: Your treatment plan is unique and tailored specifically to each individual. Some factors considered in determining your treatment plan are the following: tumor stage, breast cancer type and sub-type, age, overall health, gene mutations, and genomic markers from genomic testing.
Information was obtained from the sites listed below:
Picture from: https://www.herald-dispatch.com/the-brca-gene-and-breast-cancer/article_0879af28-9a4b-5da2-8df6-d3e3cc6db048.html
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