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Chemotherapy involves the use of special drugs to attack and kill breast cancer cells.
For women with early breast cancer, chemotherapy can prevent breast cancer from recurring by killing any remaining cancer cells that may have spread to other parts of the body at the time of surgery.
For women with advanced breast cancer, chemotherapy can destroy much of the cancer reducing tumour size and symptoms.
On these pages, you'll get more information about:
Radiation therapy uses radiation to destroy cancer cells in the body. In many cases it can significantly reduce the risk of cancer recurring.
It is routinely used as a follow up treatment after a partial mastectomy (lumpectomy or wide local excision) and sometimes after a full mastectomy to help kill any cancer cells that may still be present in the surgery area.
Most treatment for breast cancer involves surgery. The aim of surgery is to remove the cancer cells from your breast. The kind of surgery you have will depend on your breast cancer.
Every woman is different and every woman’s treatment plan will be different. Discuss all your options with your surgeon carefully and don’t feel pressured to make a quick decision. Ask your surgeon to explain the advantages and disadvantages of all the options available to you.
On these pages, you’ll find out more about:
Not all breast cancers are the same and determining what kind of breast cancer you have will help your medical team to decide what is the most suitable and effective treatment for you. Most treatment for breast cancer involves surgery. During surgery breast tissue is removed and will then be examined by a pathologist who will provide information on the kind of breast cancer you have.
Below you'll find information on:
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your pathology report
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the stage of cancer
If you’ve just been diagnosed with breast cancer, you may be feeling a whole lot of things all at once - fear, sorrow, anger, anxiety. It’s normal to feel these emotions and to feel uncertain and scared.
Information can help to reduce your fear of the unknown, but it takes time to absorb. So take some time to review the medical information you’ve been given. Catch your breath, let those emotions work themselves out so that you can take charge, review treatment options and make the decisions that are right for you.
Screening tests such as mammograms or ultrasound can only lead doctors to suspect breast cancer.
To determine if cancer is actually present a doctor will need to take a biopsy of the breast tissue and then examine this tissue under a microscope to see if cancer cells are present.
You can find out more about fundraising events for BCAC and our member groups. We welcome your participation.
More than 3,300 New Zealanders are diagnosed with breast cancer every year.
BCAC welcomes donations from individuals and companies to help us support and empower these women and men through their diagnosis, treatment and recovery.
If you would like to make a credit card donation to BCAC, please use the "Click here to donate button" to the right.
Alternatively, payments can be made by direct debit (ASB, Ponsonby, 12-3019-0721100-00) or by sending a cheque to: P O Box 90224, Victoria Street West, Auckland 1142.
We greatly appreciate your involvement and support.
