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well as a cancer-free future.

Surgery

Surgery involves your doctor removing the tumor plus surrounding tissue to establish clean margins completely around the cancerous mass. Surgery sometimes involves a mastectomy to remove the entire breast. Some women choose to have a double mastectomy to reduce the incidence of breast cancer occurring to their other breast. This decision requires consultation with an oncologist to determine what's best for the patient based on the type of breast cancer, staging (level) and plans for treatment. Some women choose bilateral (double) mastectomy to aid plastic surgeons in constructing new breasts from a "clean slate" instead of matching an already existing breast.

Lymph Node Removal

The lymphatic system houses a fluid called lymph that cleanses cells, fights infection and removes fluid from body tissue. The lymph system also can provide cancer cells the perfect avenue to travel throughout the body. Medical oncologists remove a series of lymph nodes for biopsy to check for cancer cells entering other parts of the body. Lymph node removal helps your doctor formulate future treatment since any presence of cancer in a lymph node requires a more aggressive treatment as well as radiation therapy.

Chemotherapy

Oncologists use chemotherapy as a systemic treatment to address possible cancer cells that have moved from the initial tumor site to other parts of the body. If cancer cells are present in the lymph nodes, chemotherapy becomes even more important since this indicates the cancer may have spread. Treatment usually involves a series of infusions (injections with IV) into a special catheter installed under the skin near the collarbone. This mediport allows doctors to administer chemo directly into a large vein. Chemotherapy scheduling usually involves infusion on a schedule based on the types of drugs being used. Some women receive two chemo drugs every 2 weeks for four treatments and then another chemo drug for four additional treatments. Others receive three chemo drugs at 3-week intervals for four to six treatments. Oncologists make these decisions based on current medical trends and clinical trials.

Radiation Therapy

Radiation therapy involves targeting the actual tumor sites and affected lymph nodes with a beam of radiation. This direct therapy specifically addresses any cancer cells that might be present locally. Radiation therapy usually occurs after surgery and radiation. However, some women have tumors that must

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