Breast Cancer Treatment Options

Breast cancer is a disease that is of particular concern because of the high number of cases seen in our Bay Area community. Alta Bates Summit Medical Center is well-equipped to treat breast cancer. Our clinical expertise and access to new technologies and research allows us to stay on the forefront of breast cancer treatments, increasing our chances of effectively treating you and your loved ones.

Health Information

For physician-written articles about breast cancer and related topics, visit our Health Information Library.

Cancer Treatments and Prodedures

If you have been diagnosed with cancer, you and your oncologist will work closely together to identify the best treatments for your specific health considerations. These may include a surgical intervention, as well as radiation and/or chemotherapy. At Alta Bates Summit, our outstanding physicians provide a wide variety of cancer treatments and procedures to ensure you receive the best possible care. Read below to learn more about the cancer treatments we offer.

  • Medical Oncology - Systemic Treatment
    Medical oncology and hematology focus on treating cancer with drugs and other agents which travel throughout your body’s entire system to destroy cancer cells and help the body defend itself. Medical oncology is considered "systemic treatment" as opposed to radiation oncology which focuses treatment on a specific part of the body.

  • Radiation Oncology - Focused Treatment
    Radiation therapy, or radiation oncology, is a true targeted therapy with treatment directed precisely at the site of the cancer. It may be used as part of a larger treatment strategy that includes a systemic therapy – either chemotherapy or endocrine-based therapy – or it may be administered alone. The science behind radiation oncology continues to make rapid advances in scope and technique, thus reducing side effects and sparing healthy tissues by targeting the disease more precisely. At Alta Bates Summit Medical Center, we offer the following current radiation therapies:

  • Cancer Surgery
    Surgical therapy is the most frequently used and most successful cancer therapy available today. In fact, more patients are cured of cancer by surgery than any other single therapeutic method, however, it can be curative only for patients with localized tumors. Surgery for cancer can be used to prevent, diagnose, treat, ease symptoms or improve function for individuals living with cancer.

    Cancer surgery refers to the surgical removal of any tissue that contains cancerous cells to prevent the spread and growth of the cancer, and it may include everything from a relatively simple outpatient procedure, such as the removal of a cancerous mole, to more complex procedures that are individually tailored to the needs of each patient. Surgeons who perform cancer surgery continue to develop new surgical techniques that are less invasive, cause less pain and have decreased recovery time. Leading approaches to surgical cancer care can involve the use of newer anesthetic agents, laser technology, endoscopes and laparoscopic approaches.

    For more complex cancer conditions, surgery is typically accompanied by medical and/or radiation oncology treatments. Post-surgery care is also very specific to each individual's treatment needs and cannot be generalized. To select a surgeon who treats cancer, visit our Find A Doctor search tool.