Treatment of breast cancer depends on the type of cancer and its stage. It is usually treated with:

- Surgery. The surgical therapies for breast cancer can be divided into breast conserving surgery and mastectomy.

- Radiation. The therapy destroys cancer cells with high energy rays.

- Adjuvant therapy that includes:

a) Chemotherapy. It works with medications that travel through the bloodstream to the cancer cells. The drugs used in chemotherapy cause serious side effects.

b) Hormone blocking therapy. It is used to prevent estrogen that causes the breast cancer tumor to grow. Aromatase inhibitors are only suitable for post-menopausal patients.

c) Monoclonal antibodies. They block a protein known as HER2/neu. The amount of this protein may appear increased to a much higher level in patients with breast cancer.

d) Other drugs can be used to control unwanted side effects as result of the applied therapy. E.g. antioxidant preparations containing succinic acid are used to prevent myocardium dysfunctions during the chemotherapy.

Combined treatments are given according to the diagnosis and risk of recurrence.