Male Breast Cancer Treatment

By Mayo Clinic Staff

Your doctor determines your breast cancer treatment options based on your type of breast cancer, its stage and grade, whether the cancer cells are sensitive to hormones, your overall health and your own preferences. Most women undergo surgery for breast cancer and also receive additional treatment, such as chemotherapy, hormone therapy or radiation.There are many options for breast cancer treatment, and you may feel overwhelmed as you make complex decisions about your treatment. Consider seeking a second opinion from a breast specialist in a breast center or clinic. Talk to other women who have faced the same decision.

Breast cancer surgery

Operations used to treat breast cancer include:

• Removing the breast cancer (lumpectomy).During lumpectomy, which may be referred to as breast-sparing surgery or wide local excision, the surgeon removes the tumor and a small margin of surrounding healthy tissue. Lumpectomy is typically reserved for smaller tumors.
• Removing the entire breast (mastectomy). Mastectomy is surgery to remove all of your breast tissue. Most mastectomy procedures remove all of the breast tissue — the lobules, ducts, fatty tissue and some skin, including the nipple and areola (simple mastectomy). In a skin-sparing mastectomy, the skin over the breast is left intact to improve reconstruction and appearance.
• Removing a limited number of lymph nodes (sentinel node biopsy). To determine whether cancer has spread to your lymph nodes, your surgeon will discuss with you the role of removing the lymph nodes that receive the lymph drainage from your tumor. If no cancer is found in those lymph nodes, the chance of finding cancer in any of the remaining lymph nodes is small and no other nodes need to be removed.
• Removing several lymph nodes (axillary lymph node dissection). If cancer is found in the sentinel node, your surgeon will discuss with you the role of removing additional lymph nodes in your armpit.
• Removing both breasts. Some women with cancer in one breast may choose to have their other (healthy) breast removed (contralateral prophylactic mastectomy) if they have a very increased risk of cancer in the other breast. Discuss your breast cancer risk with your doctor, along with the benefits and risks of this procedure.

Complications of breast cancer surgery depend on the procedures you choose. Surgery carries a risk of bleeding and infection.

Some women choose to have breast reconstruction after surgery. Discuss your options and preferences with your surgeon. Consider a referral to a plastic surgeon before your breast cancer surgery. Your options may include reconstruction with a synthetic breast implant or reconstruction using your own tissue. These operations can be performed at the time of your mastectomy or at a later date.

Radiation therapy

Radiation therapy uses high-powered beams of energy, such as X-rays, to kill cancer cells. Radiation therapy is typically done using a large machine that aims the energy beams at your body (external beam radiation). But radiation can also be done by placing radioactive material inside your body (brachytherapy).

External beam radiation is commonly used after lumpectomy for early-stage breast cancer. Doctors may also recommend radiation therapy after mastectomy for larger breast cancers or cancers that have spread to the lymph nodes.

Side effects of radiation therapy include fatigue and a red, sunburn-like rash where the radiation is aimed. Breast tissue may also appear swollen or more firm. Rarely, more-serious problems may occur, such as damage to the heart or lungs or, very rarely, second cancers in the treated area.

Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy uses drugs to destroy cancer cells. If your cancer has a high risk of returning or spreading to another part of your body, your doctor may recommend chemotherapy to decrease the chance that the cancer will recur. This is known as adjuvant systemic chemotherapy.

Chemotherapy is sometimes given before surgery in women with larger breast tumors. The goal is to shrink a tumor to a size that makes it easier to remove with surgery.

Chemotherapy is also used in women whose cancer has already spread to other parts of the body. Chemotherapy may be recommended to try to control the cancer and decrease any symptoms the cancer is causing.

Chemotherapy side effects depend on the drugs you receive. Common side effects include hair loss, nausea, vomiting, fatigue and an increased risk of developing infection. Rare side effects can include premature menopause, damage to the heart and kidneys, nerve damage, and, very rarely, blood cell cancer.

Hormone therapy

Hormone therapy — perhaps more properly termed hormone-blocking therapy — is often used to treat breast cancers that are sensitive to hormones. Doctors sometimes refer to these cancers as estrogen receptor positive (ER positive) and progesterone receptor positive (PR positive) cancers.

Hormone therapy can be used after surgery or other treatments to decrease the chance of your cancer returning. If the cancer has already spread, hormone therapy may shrink and control it.

Treatments that can be used in hormone therapy include:

• Medications that block hormones from attaching to cancer cells. Selective estrogen receptor modulator (SERM) medications act by blocking estrogen from attaching to the estrogen receptor on the cancer cells, slowing the growth of tumors and killing tumor cells. SERMs, which can be used in both pre- and postmenopausal women, include tamoxifen, raloxifene (Evista) and toremifene (Fareston).
  Possible side effects include hot flashes, night sweats and vaginal dryness. More significant risks include blood clots, stroke, uterine cancer and cataracts.
• Medications that stop the body from making estrogen after menopause. Called aromatase inhibitors, these drugs block the action of an enzyme that converts androgens in the body into estrogen. These drugs are effective only in postmenopausal women. Aromatase inhibitors include anastrozole (Arimidex), letrozole (Femara) and exemestane (Aromasin). Side effects include hot flashes, night sweats, vaginal dryness, joint and muscle pain, as well as an increased risk of bone thinning (osteoporosis).
• A drug that targets estrogen receptors for destruction. The drug fulvestrant (Faslodex) blocks estrogen receptors on cancer cells and signals to the cell to destroy the receptors. Fulvestrant is used in postmenopausal women. Side effects that may occur include nausea, hot flashes and joint pain.
• Surgery or medications to stop hormone production in the ovaries. In premenopausal women, surgery to remove the ovaries or medications to stop the ovaries from making estrogen can be an effective hormonal treatment.

Targeted drugs

Targeted drug treatments attack specific abnormalities within cancer cells. Targeted drugs approved to treat breast cancer include:

• Trastuzumab (Herceptin). Some breast cancers make excessive amounts of a protein called human growth factor receptor 2 (HER2), which helps breast cancer cells grow and survive. If your breast cancer cells make too much HER2, trastuzumab may help block that protein and cause the cancer cells to die. Side effects may include headaches, diarrhea and heart problems.
• Pertuzumab (Perjeta). Pertuzumab targets HER2 and is approved for use in metastatic breast cancer in combination with trastuzumab and chemotherapy. This combination of treatments is reserved for women who haven't yet received other drug treatments for their cancer. Side effects of pertuzumab may include diarrhea, hair loss and heart problems.
• Ado-trastuzumab emtansine (Kadcyla). This drug combines trastuzumab with a cell-killing drug. When the combination drug enters the body, the trastuzumab helps it find the cancer cells because it is attracted to HER2. The cell-killing drug is then released into the cancer cells. Ado-trastuzumab emtansine may be an option for women with metastatic breast cancer who've already tried trastuzumab and chemotherapy.
• Lapatinib (Tykerb). Lapatinib targets HER2 and is approved for use in advanced or metastatic breast cancer. Lapatinib can be used in combination with chemotherapy or hormone therapy. Potential side effects include diarrhea, painful hands and feet, nausea, and heart problems.
• Bevacizumab (Avastin). Bevacizumab is no longer approved for the treatment of breast cancer in the United States. Research suggests that although this medication may help slow the growth of breast cancer, it doesn't appear to increase survival times.

Personal View:

Male and female breast cancer is closely related; eventhough, it is mostly found in women. The treatment to combat breast cancer may seem like its no big concern, but the treatments add to the condtions. The treatment's side effects are like worsening to the condition, because your body is hosting the cancerous cells ,which are growing constantly, and what's supposed to help you is only making new problems arise. I think we need to have research teams to creat treatments for that specific cancer, and not multiple conditions. This idea could posibly help patients. 

Susan G. Koman 3 day event Volunteer Opportunty

By Wendy Bumgardner

About the Events: The Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure Walks are challenging and exciting events held in multiple US cities each year to benefit breast cancer causes. Walkers are challenged to walk approximately 20 miles a day for 3 days. They camp out each night in a tent city. All meals, snacks, and trail support are provided. Each walker must raise a minimum of $2300 in donations to participate.

Dates and Locations:
Atlanta Oct. 18-20, 2013, Oct. 17-19, 2014
Tampa Bay Oct. 25-27, 2013 | no walk in 2014
Dallas/Fort Worth Nov. 1-3, 2013, Nov. 7-9, 2014
Arizona Nov. 8-10, 2013 | no walk in 2014
San Diego Nov. 15-17, 2013, Nov. 21-23, 2014
Michigan Aug. 15-17, 2014
Twin Cities Aug. 22-24, 2014
Seattle Sep. 19-21, 2014
Philadelphia Oct. 4-6, 2013, Sept. 12-14, 2014
Washington, DC Oct. 11-13, 2013 | no walk in 2014

There will be no walks in 2014 in these former locations:
San Francisco Bay Area
Boston
Cleveland
Chicago

Registration: The registration fee is $90. Register online or by mail. Once registered you will receive your training packet and be assigned to a coach. Orientation sessions are held in the walk cities, and walk training groups are held in many locations. The event is open to both men and women, age 16 and above. Minors must participate with their parent or legal guardian.
Registration

All walkers are required to have health insurance during the event.

Donations: Each walker must collect $2300 in donations in order to participate. Donations may be collected by cash, credit card, or check. Each participant can set up a personal web page on the 3-Day Walk site to make it easy to collect donations online. Walker coaches provide advice on how to host a fundraising party and how to ask for donations. The Susan G Komen for the Cure organization disburses the funds to worthy breast cancer charities.

Training: Walking for 20 miles a day for three days is a very challenging endurance event. Proper training is necessary, similar to training to walk a marathon. The Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure provides training advice, group training walks, and a coach to assist walkers in their training and in selecting the right clothing, shoes, and gear.
Training Schedule for a 3-Day Walk

Walking the Event: The event provides full support during the walk - marked trail, stops every 2-3 miles for water, sports drink, snacks. Lunch on the route. First aid and blister care. Sweep vans patrol the route looking for walkers who need assistance. Walkers may end their day's walk at any of the stops along the way and be taken to camp. There is no penalty for failing to complete the total distance each day, and for safety's sake people should not overextend themselves.

Camping: Each day ends at camp where hot showers and a hot meal are provided. Walkers are assigned to 2-person tents. Each walker provides his/her own sleeping bag and pad. Clothing and gear are transported for the walkers, but there are weight limitations. Each evening there is entertainment. Walkers are encouraged to stay at camp rather than arrange other accommodation.

Crew: The event depends on volunteer crew members to support the walkers in everything from setting up the camp, serving the walkers at the stops on the route, marking the route, serving meals, patrolling the route, etc. Crew members also register for $90 and are provided the same meals and camping accommodations as the walkers.

Charity: Eighty-five percent of the net proceeds from the Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure Walks goes to the foundation activities, building awareness and raising funds for breast cancer research and community outreach programs since 1982. Fifteen percent of the net proceeds benefit the National Philanthropic Trust (NPT). These funds will establish the NPT Breast Cancer Fund, which will provide long-term support for breast cancer initiatives including research, treatment, prevention and education.

Step By Step on a 3-Day Walk:

I walked two 3-Day Walks - in Washington DC and in Seattle and crewed once in Seattle. Each is a treasured experience. These are by far the best organized walking events I have done, and the spirit is incredible.

http://walking.about.com/od/breastcancerwalks/p/bc3day.htm

Road To Recovery program needs volunteer drivers for cancer patients

Jimmy Tomlin
http://www.hpe.com/life/x2082474840/Road-To-Recovery-program-needs-volunteer-drivers-for-cancer-patients


Fighting breast cancer for the past seven months has been challenging enough for Sarah Crane. Imagine how difficult it would be if the 67-year-old High Point woman didn’t have a means of getting to her medical appointments.
“I have to have transportation,” says Crane, who has been receiving radiation treatments at High Point Regional Health System’s Hayworth Cancer Center. “I have to be able to get to my appointments.”
That’s where the volunteer drivers of Road To Recovery, an American Cancer Society program, come into play.
“Our goal is to ensure patients have transportation to and from medical appointments,” explains Wendy Martin, Road To Recovery’s volunteer coordinator and a member of the cancer center’s oncology care team.
“Lack of transportation is one of the most frequent reasons patients don’t complete treatment. Many of them need daily or weekly treatment visits, and they simply have no way to get to the appointments. Some may not have the financial means, and others may not be able to drive because of their medical condition — or because of side effects from the medications they’re taking — and they don’t have friends or family who can drive them.”
The problem is that more volunteer drivers are needed.
“We average about 1,500 rides a year that are needed,” Martin says, “and right now we’re only filling about 60 percent of that need with our drivers.”
So how do the other 40 percent of ride requests get filled?
When no volunteer drivers are available, Road To Recovery arranges for a taxi to pick up patients and transport them to their appointments and back home again. Of course, that was a challenge this past week, with the influx of High Point Market visitors making cab service more scarce.
Furthermore, taxi service costs money. To pay those costs, Road To Recovery draws funds from the health system’s LoveLine program, which provides financial assistance to cancer patients to help them meet short-term critical needs not covered by other resources. Those funds are typically used to assist with such expenses as medication, medical supplies, housing and nutrition.
“If we’re using LoveLine funds to pay for taxi service, that makes those funds not available for other things,” Martin says. “We may not have the money to get someone’s heat turned on or to meet some other need, and that’s what we want to avoid.”
According to Martin, the program has about 50 registered volunteers, but averages only about 15 active drivers per month.
“That’s why we really need more people,” she says. “We provide all of the training. Volunteers just need to have a good driving record and a vehicle that’s in good driving condition, because safety is a top priority for us.”
Volunteers can drive as much or as little as they like, Martin says. Daily emails are sent to registered volunteers showing the next day’s schedule for when patients need transportation, and volunteers simply sign up online. The volunteers then call the patients directly to let them know what time they’ll be picking them up.
“They may stay and wait for the patient’s treatment to be completed and then take them home, or there may be another driver scheduled to take them home,” Martin says. “They don’t necessarily have to stay for the appointment.”
Volunteers get involved for a number of reasons, but some of them sign up because of a personal experience with cancer.
“I lost a brother to cancer several years ago, so I know what cancer does to you and your family,” says Amanda Magill of High Point, who began volunteering about three years ago. “I feel like I’m helping these people, because I’m giving them one less thing to worry about. They have enough to worry about.”
Another volunteer, Beachy Allen of High Point, saw the need for a program such as Road To Recovery in 2008, when she was undergoing treatment for breast cancer.
“I would see all these patients in the lobby waiting for buses and taxis, and I knew how bad they felt,” Allen recalls. “I started asking, ‘Isn’t there something we can do for these people?’”
Before long, cancer center officials had researched and discovered the American Cancer Center’s Road To Recovery program; the High Point program was implemented in 2009.
“This is such a worthwhile program,” Allen says. “No matter how great the advanced care of medicine has become, you’re not going to get better if you can’t make it to your appointments. This is easily the most satisfying and rewarding volunteer work I’ve ever done.”
Beverly Serafin, another volunteer driver, agrees.
“I’ve met so many interesting people, and they’re all so very sweet and appreciative,” she says. “They just can’t thank you enough, because they need to get to these appointments.”
jtomlin@hpe.com | 888-3579

Want to help?

The American Cancer Society’s Road To Recovery program needs volunteers to drive local cancer patients to and from their medical appointments.
To sign up or for further information, contact volunteer coordinator Wendy Martin at (336) 802-2704 or wmartin@hprhs.com.
More information about the program can also be found by visiting www.volunteertodrive.org.

Male Breast Cancer Description

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