Breast Cancer: Treatment and Rehabilitation

Breast cancer is the most prevalent cancer diagnosed among American women besides skin cancer.  This year, it’s predicted that 30 percent of those who will be diagnosed with cancer will have breast cancers.  

Breast cancer death rates are also higher than for other cancers.  But now, more women are surviving the disease, and that’s thanks to the advancements not only in diagnosis. Amongst the most effective types of diagnosis are breast exam, mammogram, biopsy, and ultrasound gel. Treatment has also gone through the development giving the patients the chance to live fuller, longer lives after cancer.

Treatment

Today, the newest advances in the diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer are becoming available and may not have the adverse side effects of mainstream treatments.   

For example, radiation therapy, surgery and chemotherapy can be effective but also pose some serious side effects, such as soreness, swelling and nerve damage. Therefore, alternative medicine such as cannabis and medical marijuana can act against side effects. Besides anti-nausea and pain relief effects, according to certain studies, it can prevent the spreading of cancer cells.

Check out the following for more treatment options that can help more patients get back to their normal lives and prevent the side effects of some treatments, which can hold them back.

Germany

In Germany, regional therapy is done with intra-arterial medicine administration into selective body or organ segments by intra-arterial perfusion or infusion in an isolated circuit.

Two benefits have been discovered from it, including improved response due to the targeted delivery of the drug and exposure of the site to it, and that’s without the side effects of traditional therapies.

Israel

On the other hand, Israel is another country leading in treatment advancements. IceCure introduces a cryoablation system to kill early stage tumor growths but without the surgery and associated scarring.  It works by freezing tumors done using a slim probe, which is then connected to a system.

This enclosed system has liquid nitrogen with a temperature of 170 degrees Celsius.  A slim probe is then inserted by a medical practitioner into the tumor but without any liquid nitrogen contacting the body only the coldness of the device that then create an ice ball of the frozen tissue.

However, Cryoablation only works for symmetrical and small growths. IceCure’s goals are to treat benign tumor growths, which size is only up to five centimeters in diameter.  

However, this measurement will be down to two centimeters if working on malignant growths. Summing up, the system can only work for early stage breast cancers.

This technology has received a CE mark in Europe and an FDA approval in the USA. Currently, the device is now being sold in Thailand, Italy, Hong Kong and United States.

USA

Lately, a woman with advanced breast cancer recovered through as therapy that made use of her immune cells. It’s the first time that the therapy has worked in breast cancer.  With this development, more people are expected to benefit from it including those with other types of cancers and even those that have spread to other body parts.

In the USA, women with breast cancer may be able to survive after a personalized therapy, and that’s with their immune cells.

This treatment can work by targeting genetic mutations, which are acquired by the tumor cells as they’re developing and multiplying.

The experts have been looking into taking lymphocytes from the breast cancer patient, and then grow that immune cell in a lab in order to obtain more of them.  Later, these immune cells will be put back into the patient’s body, a therapy called immunotherapy.

Rehabilitation after cancer

The role of a rehabilitation center in the total recovery of a breast cancer survivor cannot be discounted. Rehabilitation is important for someone who had or will have a breast cancer chemotherapy, surgery or radiation therapy.

Once a patient has passed her recovery’s acute phase, her doctor will advise her that it is the time to start with exercise and physical therapy.

There are many benefits to having a physical therapy, for instance.   It can improve motion range, reduce swelling, help with normal life return and increase energy level.

By being more active, patients, who exercise between three and five hours a week, can improve their survival rates by up to 40% over versus inactive patients have, according to certain studies.

Final Thoughts

Thanks to the latest breast cancer treatment advancements that give more hope to women suffering from breast cancer. And for those who have survived this difficult stage in their lives, they can experience faster recovery before or after treatment with the right plan that a rehabilitation center with the specialists in physical therapy, exercise and other rehab methods and approaches.