MANILA, July 2 — For families across Asia facing a breast cancer diagnosis, the word “early” carries immense weight. In the early stages, this disease is highly curable, offering real hope for communities and loved ones. Breast cancer happens when cells in the breast grow and divide abnormally.
But what does treatment look like when caught early? According to medical experts, it typically involves a combination of local therapies — such as surgery or radiation to remove the tumor — and systemic therapies, which include chemotherapy, hormone therapy, or targeted therapy to eliminate any remaining cancer cells.
Surgery is the foundational step. For many patients, a lumpectomy may be an option — this is a breast-conserving procedure that removes only the cancerous tumor along with a small amount of surrounding healthy tissue. In other cases, a mastectomy is performed, removing the entire breast tissue.
Closer to home, this distinction matters greatly for women and their families weighing treatment decisions. In both types of surgery, a sentinel lymph node biopsy is performed.
Some axillary lymph nodes — those in the underarm area — may also be removed to check for cancer cells. Based on the size, there are two types of tumors in the early stage. The treatments for early-stage breast cancer, including invasive ductal carcinoma and invasive lobular carcinoma, follow a structured path: neoadjuvant therapy (treatment before surgery), then surgery, then radiation, and then adjuvant or systemic therapy after surgery.
Radiation therapy is usually given to patients who have undergone a lumpectomy. This step helps eliminate any potential residue of cancer cells in the breast, lowering the chances of recurrence. Sometimes radiation is also directed at the axillary lymph nodes to kill any potential cancer cells that may remain there.
For patients and their families across the region, understanding these steps can bring clarity during a difficult time. The journey from diagnosis through treatment is not easy, but the medical community continues to refine these approaches to give more people a fighting chance.
What this means for ordinary people is that early detection opens the door to a range of effective treatments. The combination of local and systemic therapies, tailored to each patient’s specific type and stage of cancer, offers a roadmap forward. Consult your doctor for medical advice.
