Stage II Breast Cancer Treatment Options

Stage II Treatment Options

With stage II breast cancer, the cancer is still contained within the breast and (in some cases) in nearby lymph nodes. Many treatments may help. The five-year survival rate for women with stage II cancer is estimated to be between 76% and 88%. It may be higher. This doesn't mean that these women will only live five years. Doctors just measure success rates for cancer treatment by seeing how women are doing five years after treatment. As with stage I cancer, you would likely use a combination of treatments.

• Surgery is standard. For smaller tumors, you might get a lumpectomy, in which only the tumor and some of the surrounding tissue are removed. For larger tumors, you might need a mastectomy, in which the entire breast is removed. In either case, the surgeon will likely remove some of the lymph nodes. After a mastectomy, you might get breast reconstruction surgery.
• Radiation therapy is standard for women who get a lumpectomy. It can kill cancer cells that were missed during surgery. Some women with stage II cancer who get a mastectomy will also need radiation, especially if the tumor was large.
• Chemotherapy is often used after surgery. This treatment can destroy any remaining cancer cells that were missed. Chemotherapy may also be used as neoadjuvant therapy -- treatment before surgery to shrink a tumor. If it works, the tumor might then be small enough to remove in a lumpectomy.
• Hormone therapy is sometimes used after surgery in women who have hormone receptor-positive cancer. In these women, medicines can prevent the tumor from getting the hormone it needs to grow. These drugs include tamoxifen and newer aromatase inhibitors like Arimidex. Women who haven't reached menopause may consider having their ovaries removed to stop them from making hormones that help cancer grow.
• Biological therapy is a new approach. In about 25% of women with breast cancer, an excess of a protein known as HER2 makes the cancer spread quickly. Herceptin is a new drug that's been approved to treat women with metastatic breast cancer that is HER2-positive. It stops this protein from making the cancer grow and makes chemotherapy more effective. It is most often used in combination with chemotherapy. Very recent studies have led to its use in early breast cancer.
• Clinical trials are open to many women with stage II cancer. A clinical trial may allow you access to cutting-edge treatments. Many new therapies -- new drugs, new treatments, and new combinations -- are in clinical trials now. Keep in mind that any successful treatment we have now started out in a clinical trial.