Treatment Options for Breast Cancer in the Elderly

Radiation Therapy

• Radiation therapy, also commonly known as radiotherapy, is one of the common methods used to treat people (especially older people) suffering from breast cancer. Generally two forms of radiation--internal radiation technique and external beam radiation therapy--are administered to the patients.
  Internal radiation technique, also commonly called brachytherapy, involves placing radioactive seeds near the cancerous cells in the breasts. These seeds help focus high-energy rays on the malignant cells and damage them.
  External beam radiation therapy involves irradiating the cancer cells with high-power radiations (commonly X-rays) to kill the cancerous cells and prevent their spread.
  
  

Chemotherapy

• Chemotherapy, also called chemoembolization, is another commonly administered method used to treat people with breast cancer. Chemotherapy involves injecting anti-cancer medications like interleukin and pacitaxel directly into the cancer cells. These drugs help destroy the malignant cells and avert their spreading to other body parts.
  
  

Targeted Drug Therapy

• Targeted drug therapy attacks specific abnormalities associated with the cancer cells and prevents their growth and survival. According to the Mayo Clinic, drugs that have been approved to treat breast cancer include trastuzumab (Herceptin), lapatinib (Tykerb) and bevacizumab (Avastin). Lapatinib and and trastuzumab attack the HER2 protein (the protein aiding the multiplication of the malignant cells) of the cancer cells and ultimately causes them to die. Bevacizumab blocks the blood flow through the cancer cells and damages them, preventing their spread.
  
  

Hormone Therapy

• Hormone therapy is often used to treat breast cancer patients. This treatment utilizes medications such as tamoxifen, letrozole and others to block the hormones from attaching to the cancer cells and help in their multiplication process. Tamoxifen helps in prevent estrogen from attaching to the malignant cells, thus slowing the growth of the tumors and ultimately resulting in their death.