The clinical trial involved with the treatment of breast cancer is part of the research study which investigates on the improvement of the treatment being used currently and gather data on the novel therapies for the Cancer patients. If the clinical trials have proved that novel therapy is working better than the standard one then this new treatment is made as standard. There are a few types of standard treatments available for the patients of Breast cancer.

Surgery

Many breast cancer patients will have to undergo surgery to separate the cancer tissue from the breast. The lymph nodes present under the arm are examined under the microscope for the presence of any cancer cells.

Breast conserving surgery

This is the surgery that is done to save the breast by removing only the cancer tissue from it. The various types of this surgery include lumpectomy and partial mastectomy.

Lumpectomy

This type of surgery involves removing the tumor or lump alone along with a little surrounding tissue.

Partial Mastectomy

This type of surgery will help in separating the breast region that has cancer in it along with the removal of some normal surrounding tissue. The tissue present on the chest muscles situated under the cancer tissue should also be separated. This surgical procedure is also known as segmental mastectomy.

The people who have undergone surgery for breast conservation might have got some of the lymph nodes separated from the arm through biopsy. This removal is known as dissection of lymph nodes. The lymph node dissection is carried out during the breast conserving surgery or after that. The dissection of lymph node is done by making an incision.

Other Surgeries

Total mastectomy

This is the type of surgery that helps in separating the entire breast consisting of cancer. This type of surgery is termed also as simple mastectomy. The lymph nodes lying under the arm have to be detached through biopsy during the breast surgery or after the breast surgery. Another distinct opening has to be made to detach the lymph nodes.

Modified radical mastectomy

This is the type of surgery aids in detaching the entire cancer affected breast, lymph nodes below the arm, chest wall muscles and the layer above the chest muscles.

The breast cancer patient will be administered with chemotherapy drugs before the surgery to contract the tissue. The shrunken tissue will be smaller in size for the doctor to remove it easily by surgery. The before-surgery therapy given is called as neo-adjuvant therapy.

After the successful surgical removal of the tumor tissue, some patients are given radiation, chemo and hormonal therapies to terminate the remaining cancer cells if present. The treatment that is provided after the exclusion of the cancer tissue to reduce the risk of reoccurrence of cancer or to kill any cancer cells that might be retained during the surgery is called as adjuvant therapy.

Lymph node biopsy

The biopsy of the Sentinel lymph node is the procedure where the sentinel lymph node is detached in a surgery. This is the lymph node that primarily receives the lymph drain from the cancer tissue. This biopsy is done before the surgery.

Radiation therapy

The X-rays and other high energy radiation are used in this type of treatment to destroy the cancer tissue. This treatment will stop the cancer cells growing further. Exterior radiation and interior radiation therapies are used for destroying the cancer cells.

Chemotherapy

In this procedure, drugs are used for the treatment of cancer. The drugs will cease the progress of the cancer tissue.

Hormonal and targeted therapies are also found to be efficient in stopping the cancer cells to grow. New treatment methods are being investigated through clinical trials for breast cancer like chemotherapy given at high doses accompanied by transplantation of stem cells.