MultiCare Health System

Breast Cancer

Breast cancer is many women’s worst fear. But experts have made great progress in treating this disease. If it is found early, breast cancer can often be cured, and it is not always necessary to remove the breast.

Breast cancer occurs when abnormal cells grow and multiply uncontrollably, damaging surrounding tissue and interfering with the normal function of the breast. The cells can spread (metastasize) to the lymph nodes and other parts of the body.

Breast Cancer Treatment

The latest innovations in breast cancer treatment

At the MultiCare Regional Cancer Center, you will work with a team of doctors and professionals dedicated to helping you choose the most effective breast cancer treatment plan that meets your needs. The following are the most common forms of treatment. Your physician can explain each option more thoroughly, and help you determine which option, or combination of options, is best for you.

Surgery. For many breast cancer patients, surgery is often one element of the treatment process. The goal of surgery is to remove the tumor. If your doctors feel they are able to perform breast-conserving surgery without compromising your health, a lumpectomy may be an option. You and your doctor will work together to determine the surgical treatment options that may be best for you.

Radiation therapy. Your doctor may recommend one or two forms of radiation therapy – external or internal – to eliminate any cancerous cells in your body. External therapy is administered using high-energy x-ray beams that focus on the breast in the area of the tumor. Over time, treatment destroys or weakens the cancer cells so they cannot reproduce. If your breast cancer treatment requires internal radiation, you may be a candidate for MammoSite RTS. This approach to radiation therapy, which delivers a concentrated dose of radiation to the tumor via a catheter, can be completed in as little as five days.

Chemotherapy. Chemotherapy involves the use of anti-cancer drugs to treat cancer. These drugs are designed interfere with the rapidly dividing cancer cells in your body. Your doctors may suggest chemotherapy as form of breast cancer treatment before or after surgery. Chemotherapy is usually administered intravenously (through the vein) or orally in the form of pills. Your doctor may recommend additional medications to help alleviate chemotherapy-related side effects.

Targeted drug therapy. In addition to chemotherapy, doctors at the MultiCare Regional Cancer Center offer a variety of drugs to treat breast cancer. If your tumor is hormone-responsive, your doctors may consider hormone therapy as part of your breast cancer treatment plan. The goal of hormone therapy treatment is to prevent estrogen from stimulating the growth of any cancer cells that may have moved away from the tumor to other parts of the body or at the tumor site itself.

In addition to the therapies described above, MultiCare offers complementary and alternative therapies such as nutritional therapy, physical therapy and emotional counseling. Our physicians and staff are with you every step of the way in your cancer journey.

To learn more about the MultiCare Regional Cancer Center at 253-403-2346 or the Dr. Richard C. Ostenson Cancer Center at 253-697-HOPE.

They can help you choose the next step that's right for you.