How is breast cancer treated?

Written by Zhang Chao Jie
Breast Surgery
Updated on March 27, 2025
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The treatment of adenocarcinoma is a systematically planned treatment, involving five major types of treatments in the field of Western medicine. The first is surgical treatment, the second is chemotherapy, the third is endocrine therapy, the fourth is biological targeted therapy, often referred to as targeted therapy, and the fifth is radiation therapy, commonly known as radiotherapy. These are the five major treatments in Western medicine. However, not every patient with breast disease will need all five treatments; it depends on their specific conditions. Additionally, there are treatments from Chinese medicine, which primarily serve as supportive care. Of course, there is also psychological support therapy from a psychological perspective, which is part of this so-called systematic treatment.

Other Voices

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Written by Gong Chun
Oncology
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Breast cancer is a disease.

Breast cancer is a malignant tumor of the breast that can occur in both women and men, though it is more commonly seen in women. Breast cancer arises when breast epithelial cells undergo genetic mutations under the influence of various carcinogenic factors, losing the characteristics of normal cells. Consequently, the structural organization of breast cancer tissue is disrupted, with loose cell connections, allowing cancer cells to easily detach and spread throughout the body via pathways such as blood or lymphatic fluid, leading to metastases in the lungs, brain, bones, etc. Therefore, this disease directly affects patient survival outcomes and should be taken seriously by everyone.

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Written by Zhang Chao Jie
Breast Surgery
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Breast Cancer Surgery Plan

The surgical plan for breast cancer is a significant issue, as it involves determining whether the breast cancer is in its early stages, the location of the cancerous mass in the breast, whether the axilla and lymph nodes are affected, and whether there are distant metastases, among other factors, in order to make a comprehensive judgment. Therefore, breast cancer surgery is designed based on the location and size of the tumor in the breast, whether the skin and axillary lymph nodes are involved. For early-stage breast cancer, there are surgical methods that allow for the preservation of the breast and even the axilla, known as breast-conserving and axilla-conserving surgery. If a patient with breast cancer can receive such treatment, they have more than a 70% chance of completely curing the disease, while still retaining the breast and axilla. Thus, there are multiple surgical options for breast cancer, and each individual’s situation is different.

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Written by Lin Yang
Breast Surgery
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How long does breast cancer surgery take?

Generally speaking, for breast cancer surgery, local anesthesia is first used to biopsy the pathology. After removing the pathology, it is quickly determined whether it is malignant or benign. Then, the procedure is switched to general anesthesia to perform either modified radical mastectomy or radical mastectomy, or a sentinel lymph node biopsy. The approximate time is about two hours, plus postoperative care, it usually ends in about two and a half hours, and then the patient is sent back to the ward to rest, generally not exceeding three hours.

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Written by Zhang Chao Jie
Breast Surgery
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Can breast cancer be cured?

Breast cancer is one of the few curable solid malignant tumors; a solid tumor refers to one that forms a mass or has a tangible tumor body. However, the prerequisite is that the breast cancer must be in its early stages, as advanced breast cancer is currently difficult to cure, and not all early-stage breast cancers can be cured. With standardized systematic treatment in modern medicine, about 60% to 70% of early-stage breast cancers can be completely cured. However, 30% to 40% of early-stage breast cancers still develop into advanced-stage breast cancer. This is one of the reasons why long-term monitoring, close follow-up, and regular re-examinations are necessary for breast cancer management later on.

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Written by Cui Yu Rong
Breast Surgery
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How long does breast cancer surgery take?

There are many types of surgery for breast cancer clinically, and the most commonly used currently are the modified radical mastectomy and breast-conserving surgery for breast cancer. The timing of the breast cancer surgery, the specific surgical method, anesthesia method, the proficiency of the surgeon, and whether rapid pathology is needed during surgery are all factors that affect the duration; therefore, the surgery time is not fixed. In most cases, the modified radical mastectomy for breast cancer takes about two hours. If rapid pathology is needed during the surgery, the time may also be extended accordingly, so it needs to be determined based on the specific situation.