Nobody is quite ready for a diagnosis of breast cancer. Just when you felt quite busy enough, there are urgent decisions to be made. What type of surgery? Do I need chemotherapy? Is hormone therapy for me?
Even those who spend their professional lives in breast cancer care can find it difficult to keep up with the latest techniques, drugs and advice. For those who never planned to get involved it can be daunting.
An oncologist does not treat cancer – they treat an entire person who happens (against their will) to have cancer. As a specialist in all oncological aspects of breast cancer care, I aim to inform and guide you in making the right choices for you. I would then personally oversee your treatment, aiming to get you through, and beyond.
Radiotherapy
Radiotherapy is the use of radiation to kill cancer cells. In breast cancer, it is commonly used after surgery, when all the visible cancer has been removed but there might be invisible cells remaining.
It typically involves 3-4 weeks of daily sessions (5 per week), each lasting 10-15 minutes. Short term side effects include tiredness and skin soreness & redness. Long term scarring of all the irradiated tissues can occur. That includes the skin, residual breast (if appropriate) and even the ribs, lung and heart.
Modern radiotherapy technology such as IMRT (Intensity Modulated Radiotherapy) and DIBH (Deep Inspiration Breath Hold) can reduce particularly the long term side effects of treatment.
We work with the Oxford Cancer Centre, and the GenesisCare centres in Windsor, Oxford, Milton Keynes and Elstree, London to provide you with high quality radiotherapy close to home.
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy is the use of strong anticancer drugs to kill cancer cells. It can be used before or after surgery in radical treatment (aimed at cure), and in metastatic cancer to slow its progression and maximise quality of life.
Traditional chemotherapy drugs are still used when they are have the best evidence behind them. They do have significant side effects, including tiredness, nausea, and often hair loss (talk to us about techniques to reduce this).
Increasingly, there are targeted drugs (such as those against the HER2 switch) and immunotherapy options for breast cancer. I can advise when these are a sensible alternative.
Lifestyle and Wellbeing
Living with and beyond breast cancer – survivorship – is becoming more important and we do more to cure or control this disease. The end of active treatment comes with two contradictory pieces of advice – go back and get on with the rest of your life, but also watch out for signs of the cancer coming back.
There are proven things you can do to reduce risks in the future, such as regular exercise, moderating alcohol and avoiding becoming overweight. There are also myths that need to be challenged if they are needlessly restricting you.
Increasingly we recognise that living well is not an afterthought. It can start on day one of your cancer journey. Exercise, for example, can help your mind and body cope with the diagnosis and the treatments it entails.