Nonsurgical Treatments
Many patients may not require surgical intervention and will be given recommendations for radiation therapy, chemotherapy, hormone therapy, immunotherapy, biological therapy or a combination of several of these modalities.
What Happens After Surgery
Your medical oncologist will meet with you shortly after your surgery, usually within a week and often on the same day as your post-operative appointment with your surgeon. At this time, we will have more definitive pathology results and a better profile of your cancer. Your case likely will have been discussed at the Weekly Breast Conference.
At this appointment, you’ll have as long as you need to discuss the findings and your options. Your doctor will review with you:
- Definitive surgical results.
- Amount of cancer found during surgery.
- Extent of involvement, if any, of lymph nodes or other organs.
- In-depth findings of the pathology (cancer cells).
- Composition and type of cancer.
- Stage of the cancer.
- Probability of living free of disease through surgery alone.
- Options for hormonal therapy or chemotherapy.
- Options for radiation therapy.
- Additional imaging studies indicated, if any.
- Impacts of standard therapies as well as new therapies.
- Risks of recurrence.
- Novel therapies or clinical trials for which you qualify.
- Impacts of treatment on fertility and premature menopause.
- Lifestyle changes and recommendations.
- Strategies and resources for dealing with pain, depression, side effects.
- Your questions and concerns.
This visit is an opportunity for you to learn as much as you need and want to know about your disease and the options for your treatment.
Therapy Begins: Let Your Nurse Case Manager Help See You Through
Once your course to recovery is charted, you’ll be assigned a nurse case manager who will help coordinate your care, answer your questions and hook you up to the resources you’ll need. Our Breast Cancer Unit nursing team members have specialized training and certification in oncology nursing, so they are attuned to the special needs of breast cancer patients.
“We can usually answer the question before it’s asked,” said Deborah Noell, R.N., BSN, OCN, who has worked with breast cancer patients for 17 years. “We triage with patients on a daily basis. We have the ability and the knowledge base to know what needs to be taken care of and expedited. We can allay anxiety and counsel patients, intervene early on with psychosocial issues and coordinate support groups and social services.”
Allow our nursing team to tackle your issues and concerns. Let them help you navigate our system so you can make the most of the many resources available to you. They will accompany you throughout the course of your treatment and follow-up care, which often continues for several years, so “you’ve got a friend” to walk you through it.
Radiation Oncology
If your treatment plan includes radiation therapy, UCSD’s advanced technologies include state-of-the-art linear accelerators. These image-guided radiation therapy systems offer virtually unmatched precision, power and speed in pinpointing and destroying tumors. With this high degree of selectivity in targeting cancer cells, you’ll benefit from less damage to healthy cells, fewer complications and faster treatments.
Infusion Therapy
Today’s chemotherapy drugs are often medicines you can take at home. If you need infusion therapy, which is a course of drugs delivered intravenously, you’ll come to our Infusion Center. You’ll see windows overlooking a garden and comfortable chairs that let you put up your feet as you read a book, chat with a family member or talk to other patients. You can pull a privacy curtain if you prefer or you can stroll outside and sit in the garden during your therapy. The center provides snacks or you can bring your own luncheon with you or purchase something from the coffee cart.
Infusion Center nurses can equip you with a central catheter line for your safety and convenience. If you’re having regular treatment or need frequent blood draws, this option may be more comfortable and efficient for you.
Clinical Trials
In addition to standard approaches to treating your breast cancer, you may qualify for a clinical trial, which is a final stage of research that involves patient participation in the most promising therapies and advanced technologies. Your physician will advise you if you quality for one or more of the studies currently being conducted. For a glimpse into some of the currently open breast cancer research trials, visit our online clinical trials database and search for 'breast.'
For information about the kinds of things we’re discovering at Moores UCSD Cancer Center in the area of breast cancer research, visit our Research and Clinical Trials section.