Different types of surgeries are used: Operation with breast conservation:  Lumpectomy or lumpectomy (sometimes called excisonnelle biopsy or wide excision) is the removal of the tumor within the tissue that surrounds it. It is usually followed by radiotherapy to the breast tissue remaining. Most doctors also remove some axillary lymph nodes.

Partial or segmental mastectomy is the removal of the breast tumor and a large portion of tissue that surrounds up to half of the breast. Usually some axillary lymph nodes are removed.Followed in most cases by radiotherapy.  Other types of surgery:  Total or simple mastectomy: is the removal of the entire breast. Sometimes some axillary lymph nodes are removed.

Modified radical mastectomy: is the removal of the entire breast including the nipple and skin tissue, but the chest muscles are left in place. Some axillary lymph nodes were removed to assess whether the cancer had spread. It is the most common operation.  Radical mastectomy (also called Halsted radical mastectomy) is removal of the entire breast, pectoral muscles underlying and axillary lymph nodes. Operation reserved cancer with spread to the pectoral muscles.

Radiotherapy: is the use of X-rays at high energy to kill cancer cells.  Chemotherapy: is the use of drugs to kill cancer cells. Can be administered either by mouth or by intravenous injection or intra-muscular. This is called systemic treatment because the drugs enter the bloodstream, travel through the body and can kill cancer cells outside the breast area.

The initial standard chemotherapy approved for the adjuvant treatment of breast cancer was the CMF is a combination of: cyclophosphamide (Cytoxan), methotrexate and 5-flurouracil.Progress is apparent in the adjuvant treatment of breast cancer with the introduction of AC therapy or a combination of Adriamycin and Cytoxan. Taxol is another drug that can be used in the treatment of breast cancer.

Hormonal treatment:  If tests show that cancer cells have receptors for estrogen and progesterone, a hormone treatment could be given. Hormone treatment is used to change the mode of action of hormones on cancer growth. This is done either using drugs or by removing the organs that produce hormones such as ovaries. The hormonal treatment with tamoxifen is given for a period of 5 years for the woman with early breast cancer without lymph node involvement.

This treatment with tamoxifen or estrogens can act on cells of the entire body and increase the risk of developing cancer of the uterus. A pelvic exam should be done annually and any vaginal bleeding outside of menstruation should be reported to the doctor.

If the doctor removes all the cancer that is visible during surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy or hormone therapy may be given after surgery to try to kill any remaining cells. Therapy given after surgery when no cancer cell is visible is called adjuvant therapy.

TREATMENT STAGES:
The treatment of breast cancer depends on the type and stage of disease, age and condition of pre-or post-menopause.
CANCER IN SITU
The treatment of intra-ductal cancer in situ may be one of the following:
1. Surgery to remove the entire breast (total mastectomy).
2. Surgery to remove only the cancer (lumpectomy) followed by radiotherapy.
3. lumpectomy followed by radiotherapy with or without hormone therapy.

Rarely, some of the axillary lymph nodes can be removed during these surgeries.  Breast reconstruction after mastectomy can be done at the same time than this or a later date.The reconstruction could be made with your own tissue or with prostheses. There are several types of prostheses or those filled with silicone or saline liquid. Treatment of lobular carcinoma in situ (LCIS) is varied with several options, because it is not a cancer but an increased risk of 25% have cancer after 25 years.