How is breast cancer treated?

Deciding on treatment

The best treatment for you will depend on:

The size and grade of your tumour.

The type of breast cancer you have.

What protein / hormone receptors are on your cancer cells.

If the cancer has spread − to lymph nodes or elsewhere in your body.

Your age and general health.

Whether or not you have been through the menopause.

The results of your oncotype test if you have one.

Surgery for breast cancer

Most people with breast cancer have some type of surgery. There are 2 main types of surgery:

• Breast-conserving surgery: Part of the breast is removed.
• Mastectomy: The whole breast is removed.

You may also have surgery to remove some or all of your lymph nodes.

The type of surgery you need usually depends on:

• The size of the cancer relative to your breast size
• Where the cancer is in your breast
• If there are any more areas of disease in your breast (multi-focal disease). 

Read more about breast cancer surgery.

Radiotherapy for breast cancer

There are 2 main types of radiotherapy. 

• External radiotherapy. This involves using high energy rays to kill the cancer cells. It can be given after surgery to destroy any cancer cells that may be left. It can also be given to control and relieve the symptoms of advanced cancer (palliative radiotherapy). 
• Internal radiotherapy (brachytherapy). The radiation source is placed in or near your tumour for a short time to kill the cancer cells. 

Most radiotherapy treatment for breast cancer is external beam radiotherapy. You may have both external and internal radiotherapy.

Read more about radiotherapy for breast cancer.

Will I get side-effects? 

The type of side-effects you get will depend on the type of treatment, the dose, the duration and your own general health. 

Ask your doctor or nurse about possible side-effects before your treatment. You can read about the different treatments to find out more about possible side-effects. We have information to help you cope with side-effects.

Treating breast cancer that has spread (metastatic breast cancer)

Metastatic or secondary breast cancer means the cancer has spread beyond the breast, usually to your bones, lungs or liver. You cancer may be in more than one part of your body when it is first diagnosed. 

Treatment for metastatic breast cancer aims to control the disease for as long as possible.You can also have treatment for any symptoms you have. Often metastatic cancer is treated with chemotherapy or targeted therapies. You may also be suitable for a clinical trial. 

Read more about metastatic breast cancer.