Breast Cancer Treatment

From an early-stage breast cancer diagnosis to a complex or recurrent case, here's what you can count on from our care team:

• Access to advanced breast cancer screening options tailored to your personal risk
• Personalized treatment plans designed for your type of breast cancer and breast cancer stage
• Dedicated care from an expert team of breast surgeons, medical oncologists, radiation oncologists, nurse navigators and support staff
• Methods of preserving healthy breast tissue whenever possible, such as skin- and nipple-sparing procedures
• Techniques that limit radiation exposure to the heart and lungs for left-side breast cancer, including heart-sparing prone positioning
• Advanced breast reconstruction techniques that can help restore form, function and sensation to the breast
• Access to breast cancer clinical trials, which offer treatments that are not available elsewhere

Breast Cancer Treatments We Offer

Depending on the type and stage of breast cancer, treatments often combine surgery with one or more systemic treatments.

Surgery for Breast Cancer

Surgery is almost always needed to treat breast cancer. Depending on the type and stage, one of several surgical procedures may be recommended to resect the tumor, such as lumpectomy (also called breast-conserving surgery) or mastectomy. In some cases, skin- and nipple-sparing mastectomies may be able to be used to preserve healthy breast tissue.

Learn more about breast cancer surgery >

Breast Reconstructive Surgery

If surgery results in the removal of a large portion of the breast, our reconstructive surgeons are experts at restoring its shape and form, using either implants or your own tissue. Through advanced techniques not offered by most hospital systems, our team can also help restore sensation in reconstructed breast tissue. 

Learn more about breast reconstructive surgery >

Radiation Therapy for Breast Cancer

Radiation therapy uses a beam of high-energy X-rays to destroy cancer cells in a targeted area. For breast cancer treatment, radiation therapy may be used after surgery to help reduce the risk of breast cancer recurrence or to help relieve pain and other symptoms of metastatic breast cancer. 

Learn more about breast cancer radiation therapy >

Chemotherapy for Breast Cancer

Chemotherapy is the use of drugs to destroy cancer cells. For breast cancer, it's usually combined with other treatment options. Not all breast cancer care plans will include chemotherapy. It may be used before surgery to shrink a tumor and help provide a better chance for complete resection, or after surgery to kill any cancer cells that may remain. Chemotherapy may also be used to help relieve symptoms of metastatic breast cancer.

Targeted Therapy for Breast Cancer

Targeted therapy uses drugs to target molecules that cancer cells need to survive. Many different targeted therapies exist, and this type of therapy can be used for HER2-positive breast cancers, hormone-positive breast cancers, triple-negative breast cancers or if BRCA mutations are present. If your care team recommends genetic testing to check for a BRCA or other inherited mutation, the results can help determine which targeted therapies are the right fit for you.

Hormone Therapy for Breast Cancer

Hormone therapy often plays an important role in treating breast cancer, particularly if the cancer cells make estrogen or progesterone receptors. This type of therapy is often used after surgery to ensure any remaining cancer cells are destroyed. In some cases, it may be given before surgery to help shrink the tumor prior to resection. 

Learn more about breast cancer hormone therapy >

Immunotherapy for Breast Cancer

Immunotherapy uses drugs to help the body's own immune system recognize and attack cancer cells. For breast cancer, it's most often used for triple-negative breast cancer, typically combined with chemotherapy before surgery, and may also be continued afterward to help prevent recurrence.

Participating in a clinical trial can offer patients access to cutting-edge treatments that are not yet widely available. It’s an opportunity to play an active role in your own health care and contribute to medical research that could benefit future patients.

See our current breast cancer clinical trials >

Navigating the Decision-Making Process

Deciding on the best course of treatment for breast cancer can be overwhelming. At Houston Methodist, you are a part of the process. We’re here to empower you and work with you as we develop a personalized treatment plan that fits into your unique lifestyle. 

If you choose Houston Methodist as your care provider, you will never be fighting cancer alone.