Treatment of Early Breast Cancer and DCIS

Treatment for early breast cancer is designed to remove the cancer from the breast and kill any cancer cells that might still be in your body. Based on your specific breast cancer diagnosis, your doctor will recommend how to best treat your cancer. Your treatment will be based on your personal preferences and:  

• The biology of the tumor, including biomarkers (such as hormone receptor status and HER2 status) 
• Tumor profiling test results for some estrogen receptor-positive breast cancers 
• The stage of the breast cancer 
• Your overall health, age, menopausal status and other medical issues 

Types of treatment 

Early invasive breast cancer is cancer that has spread from the original location (milk ducts or lobules) into the surrounding breast tissue and possibly into the lymph nodes.

Treatment for early invasive breast cancers includes surgery, with or without radiation therapy, and some combination of:

• Chemotherapy
• Hormone therapy
• HER2-targeted therapy
• CDK4/6 inhibitor therapy
• Immunotherapy
• PARP inhibitor therapy

Treatment for breast cancer in men is similar to treatment for breast cancer in women.

Young women
With treatment, chances of survival for young women with early breast cancer are good. However, young women being treated for breast cancer may be concerned about loss of fertility (the ability to have a natural pregnancy) and other issues.

Breast cancer recurrence
Everyone who’s had breast cancer is at risk of recurrence (return of breast cancer), but risk varies greatly from person to person. Most people diagnosed with breast cancer will never have a recurrence. Talk with your doctor about your risk of recurrence.

Clinical trials
Research is ongoing to improve all areas of treatment for breast cancer. New therapies are being studied in clinical trials. The results of these studies will decide whether these therapies become part of the standard of care. After discussing the benefits and risks with your doctor, we encourage you to consider joining a clinical trial.

Emerging areas
Perhaps the most promising new treatments for breast cancer are targeted therapies. Unlike many standard treatments, targeted therapies attack specific cancer cells and leave healthy cells alone. The hope is they may help limit side effects and improve survival. Learn about these and other emerging therapies under study.

Managing side effects is an important part of breast cancer care. All treatments for breast cancer have some short-term side effects. The good news is most side effects can be managed and many can be prevented. Even so, it’s normal to worry. Before any treatment begins, talk with your doctor about possible side effects and ways to deal with them.

Learn about possible short-term side effects of different treatments:

• Lumpectomy (pain and other side effects)
• Mastectomy (pain and other side effects)
• Radiation therapy (pain, other short-term side effects and late effects)
• Chemotherapy (pain, other short-term side effects and late effects)
• HER2-targeted therapy (side effects of trastuzumab, ado-trastuzumab emtansine, pertuzumab and neratinib)
• Hormone therapy (side effects of tamoxifen, aromatase inhibitors and ovarian suppression)

Learn about possible long-term side effects.

Supportive care
Supportive care is all the care given to improve the quality of life for people with breast cancer. It includes taking care of your physical, emotional, social, spiritual and practical needs.

Talk with your doctor about how you’re coping during treatment. They care about your overall well-being and can help you find ways to improve it. They may connect you to another member of the health care team, such as a social worker or patient navigator, for help. They may also recommend you or your loved ones find a counselor or support group.