State-of-the-Art Breast Cancer Treatment Close to Home
After a breast cancer diagnosis is made, our oncology team takes a multidisciplinary approach to find the most effective breast cancer treatment for your specific disease.
We combine the latest in genetic testing, cancer therapy approaches, and surgical and non-surgical breast cancer treatment to develop the most comprehensive, personalized care plan.
Breast Cancer Treatments We Provide
Surgery
Surgery removes the tumor from your breast. It is the most common way to treat breast cancer. In some cases, a lumpectomy is recommended and only the tumor is removed, leaving the breast intact. Other cases require a mastectomy when the entire breast is removed. There are different types of mastectomy available, such as skin and nipple-saving mastectomies.
In addition to removing cancer, the goals of surgery may include:
- Determining if cancer has spread to the lymph nodes under the arm
- Restoring breast shape after the cancer is removed (breast reconstruction)
- Relieving advanced breast cancer symptoms
Your cancer specialist may recommend a specific surgery based on your breast cancer features and your medical history. Or you may have the option to choose what type of surgery you will undergo. It is important to know all of your options and talk through the pros and cons of each with your cancer specialist.
Radiation Therapy for Breast Cancer
Radiation therapy for breast cancer uses high-energy X-rays to kill cancer cells. It can be used to shrink a tumor before surgery, or it may be used after surgery to kill cancer cells that may remain in the breast or chest area—decreasing the chances of recurrence. If chemotherapy is planned after surgery, radiation therapy usually occurs after chemotherapy. Treatment is usually painless, although it may cause some skin irritation over time.
Chemotherapy
This treatment uses powerful medicines to kill cancer cells throughout the body. It may be used to shrink a tumor before surgery or destroy any cancer cells that remain after local treatments. Chemotherapy may also treat tumors that have grown in other places in the body. Breast cancer that has spread is usually treated with chemotherapy.
Hormone Therapy
This treatment stops the growth of cancer cells that rely on specific hormones. Hormone therapy may be used after surgery to decrease the chance of breast cancer coming back, or of new tumor growth.
Targeted Therapy
This treatment uses medicines that target changes in a cancer cell that make a tumor grow and spread. These medicines either destroy or slow the growth of cancer cells. Targeted therapy tends to have fewer side effects that are less severe than other treatments.
Treatment for Triple-Negative Breast Cancer
Triple-negative cancer cells do not have estrogen and progesterone hormone receptors and do not make much HER2 protein. Thus, hormone and targeted therapies are generally not effective treatments for this type of cancer. Chemotherapy is the main triple-negative breast cancer treatment. Triple-negative breast cancer cells usually respond well to chemotherapy; however, recurrence occurs more frequently than other types of breast cancer. Immunotherapy and chemotherapy can be treatment options for recurring triple-negative breast cancer. Other triple-negative breast cancer treatment options may be available as well, depending on the situation.
Looking for treatment close to home? Find an RWJBarnabas Health Breast Center location near you.
To schedule an appointment with one of New Jersey’s best breast cancer specialists call 844-CANCERNJ or 844-226-2376.
Why Choose Us for Breast Cancer Care
State-of-the-Art Cancer Treatment
RWJBarnabas Health, in partnership with Rutgers Cancer Institute, the state’s only NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center, meets the highest standards in breast cancer research, treatment, prevention, and education in the nation. We offer the most advanced treatment options, including chemotherapy, radiation therapy, stem cell transplants, targeted therapy, and access to clinical trials, many of which are not available elsewhere.
View Breast Cancer Clinical Trials
New Jersey’s Largest Network of Cancer Specialists
We offer access to New Jersey’s largest network of breast cancer specialists, including nationally and internationally recognized hematologists/oncologists, radiation oncologists, advanced practice nurses, and oncology support professionals with advanced credentials in cancer specialty care with expertise in blood cancers.
Oncology Nurse Navigators Guide You Through Your Breast Cancer Journey
Nurse navigators help secure appointments, coordinate follow-up visits related to treatments and procedures, and guide you through aspects of survivorship.
Learn more about cancer treatments from the experts at RWJBarnabas Health and Rutgers Cancer Institute.
To schedule an appointment with one of New Jersey’s best breast cancer specialists call 844-CANCERNJ or 844-226-2376.
