Breast Cancer Treatment

Nonsurgical Breast Cancer Treatment Options

Breast cancer treatment depends on many factors, including your overall health and wellness, the stage of the cancer, hormone sensitivity of the tumor and your personal feelings about certain treatments and side effects. Our goal is to keep you feeling well throughout treatment without major changes to your usual routine.

Types of breast cancer treatment may include:

Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy is a form of breast cancer treatment that uses medication to stop or slow the growth of cancer cells. The medication is delivered in varied cycles through either an IV or a pill. It may be used to shrink a tumor before surgery, kill cancer cells that remain in the body after surgery or radiation, or treat tumors that have developed in other areas. Whenever possible, Beaufort Memorial uses newer medications that help minimize the side effects of chemotherapy.

Hormone Therapy

Some types of breast cancer rely on estrogen and/or progesterone to grow.  These cells are referred to as “hormone receptor positive” cancer cells. If a tumor is hormone receptor positive, you may receive hormone therapy to stop your body from producing estrogen and/or progesterone to keep the tumor from growing.

Immunotherapy

Immunotherapy works with the body’s own immune system to help find and destroy the cancer cells. Immunotherapy helps your body kill cancer cells similar to the way it kills a virus or infection. Immunotherapy can also assist in controlling side effects resulting from other breast cancer treatments.

Radiation Therapy

Radiation therapy is a nonsurgical breast cancer treatment option that uses high-energy rays to shrink or kill cancer cells and help prevent recurrence of the disease. The rays can be specifically directed at the part of the body where the cancer is located. Treatments are delivered by linear accelerator, where patients lie on a table in a specially designed room.

At Beaufort Memorial, we use state-of-the-art TrueBeam^TM technology to deliver highly powerful and precise radiation therapy with shorter treatment times while helping protect the heart in left-breast treatments. 

Contact us online to learn more about options for radiation treatment or to schedule a consult, or call 843-522-7800 in Beaufort or 843-273-7980 in Okatie.

Breast Cancer Surgery

We specialize in a variety of breast procedures and will work with you to find the right option, which may include:

• Lumpectomy (partial mastectomy): The tumor is removed along with a small portion of normal tissue. The breast is left mostly intact.
• Modified radical mastectomy: The entire breast is removed as well as lymph nodes under the arm. The skin covering the chest wall may or may not be left intact.
• Nipple-sparing mastectomy: Breast tissue is removed, but the nipple and areola stay intact. The breast’s appearance — and potentially nerve function — remains more natural after surgery.
• Skin-sparing mastectomy: Skin is removed from the nipple and areola and from the area where the tumor was taken out, but the rest of your skin is left intact so it can be used for breast reconstruction.
• Total (simple) mastectomy: The entire breast is removed, including the nipple.

We also offer breast reconstruction for women choose to have their breasts restored using implants or tissue from other areas of the body following a mastectomy.

Breast Cancer Treatment Clinical Trials

Beaufort Memorial offers ongoing, nationally sponsored clinical trials through our partnership with the MUSC Health. These studies give you or your loved one direct access to new cancer therapies, devices and medications before they are widely available.