Breast Cancer
Today, breast cancer is no longer viewed as a single disease, but rather a number of distinct breast cancer subtypes. Now more than ever, it is important to get an accurate diagnosis and define the right treatment for your specific condition.
At Stanford, we offer you the most advanced diagnosis and treatment techniques for breast cancer, no matter how common or complex the type. Our program is a major referral center for women and men across the country with breast cancer.
Our Stanford Breast Cancer Program offers care and treatment for breast cancer in the internationally renowned Stanford Women’s Cancer Center.
FEATURED
WHAT WE OFFER YOU FOR BREAST CANCER
- Nationally recognized expertise in treating every stage and subtype of breast cancer.
- Precise diagnosis options that combine digital 3D mammography and other technologies with the expertise of pathologists and radiologists specially trained in breast cancer.
- Team-based treatment planning including weekly meetings that bring together specialists from surgery, medical oncology, radiation oncology, and other disciplines to tailor care to your needs
- Advanced treatment options, including partial breast radiation, intraoperative radiation and advanced breast reconstruction techniques.
- Tumor genomic profiling services to target the genetic fingerprint of hard-to-treat advanced breast cancers using new therapies only available through clinical trials.
- Genetic counseling services to assess your genetic risk for breast cancer and develop a care plan for you and your family.
- Comprehensive support services, including care coordination, counseling, nutrition, and fertility preservation services.
Breast Cancer Treatment
Patient Care Resources
We offer educational resources to guide you and your family throughout your treatment. We are here to support you every step of the way.
1Getting Started In Your Care
2Getting Your Diagnosis
3Planning Your Treatment
4Undergoing Treatment & Follow-Up
Select your type of treatment below.
Get supportive, expert care for your unique needs with our tailored approach to breast cancer diagnosis and treatment. Whether you are seeking a diagnosis for recently detected signs of breast cancer, searching for new hope for advanced breast cancer, or proactively planning ahead because of a genetic risk, we will set you on the right care path.
NEW DIAGNOSIS
RECURRENT & METASTATIC
Genetic Counseling
Treatment & Wellness Care
Getting the right diagnosis is one of the most important steps in ensuring that you receive the most appropriate care. Our core imaging team consists of leading radiologists (doctors who specialize in diagnosing disease with imaging technology) and pathologists (specialists who analyze tissue samples) who focus solely on breast cancer.
Our specialists will provide you with personalized medical and surgical treatment options based on the most recent clinical and research advances. At weekly Tumor Board meetings, experts from multiple disciplines review cases that require more complex recommendations.
During treatment, we will carefully monitor how effective your treatment is and how well you are adjusting to it. We also offer comprehensive support services and therapies to help reduce your stress and increase your comfort. Learn about our wellness resources »
Our breast cancer surgeons are advancing innovative approaches to breast conservation, mastectomy, and breast reconstruction surgery that result in fewer procedures and less time in the hospital.
- Breast-conserving surgery (also known as lumpectomy)
- Mastectomy, including nipple-sparing mastectomy
- Breast reconstruction
We use the most advanced breast cancer radiation therapy techniques to target difficult-to-reach areas of the breast and protect nearby healthy tissue from exposure. Radiation therapies we use include:
- 3-D conformal radiation therapy
- Intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT)
- Intraoperative radiation therapy (IORT)
- Accelerated partial breast irradiation (APBI)
Breast Cancer Medical Therapy
Our doctors and researchers have been at the forefront of developing new cancer drugs for years, providing you with access to the most successful and groundbreaking therapies. Treatments we may recommend include:
Treatment & Wellness Care
If you are battling breast cancer recurrence or metastasis, we provide advanced diagnosis options and leading expertise to deliver the optimal care you need.
Our doctors will apply the latest knowledge and their expert clinical judgment to your particular circumstances. We aim to maximize your treatment success and limit side effects of therapy.
Our Tumor Genomics Program can identify the genetic fingerprint of your cancer to help identify targeted, cancer-fighting drugs that may be right for you.Through our extensive clinical trials portfolio, you may be able to receive promising new treatment approaches before they are widely available. For patients battling advanced hereditary breast cancer, we offer clinical trials for PARP inhibitors and other drugs that target the genetic mutation behind a breast cancer predisposition.
Medical Therapy
We have been at the forefront of cancer research for many years, providing you with early access to groundbreaking therapies. Learn about clinical trials that may offer promise for your diagnosis.
We offer the latest breast cancer radiation therapy treatments for recurrent or metastatic breast cancer. CyberKnife® radiosurgery, invented at Stanford, is one of our noninvasive approaches that precisely targets tumors, including tumors in the brain.
Comprehensive Support Services
From integrative medicine to nutrition consulting, our PathWell Program will design a personalized wellness plan to help you relax and improve your stamina as you go through treatment.
Our comprehensive risk assessment can help when breast cancer appears to run in your family. Given that 5% to 10% of breast cancers likely have hereditary causes, we can offer additional steps to protect your health or adjust your treatment. Learn more about our Cancer Genetics Program »
Genetic Risk Assessment
Assessing your risk involves looking at your personal medical history and those on both sides of your family.
We may also recommend genetic testing, using the most-up-to-date techniques to look at many genes at once. We specialize in identifying lesser-known genetic mutations, which may otherwise go unrecognized.
Throughout the process, our genetic counselors help you work through implications for your health, life, and family. We can help you share information with relatives.
Learn more about cancer risk assessment with genetic testing and counseling »
Risk Management
We may find a known problem in your genes. Other times we may not, but your strong family history shows you might still need extra help. Either way, we can help you choose the intervention you feel most comfortable with:
- Additional surveillance: Evidence shows that combining mammograms with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) often finds breast cancer early, when it is more curable.
- Medications: Drugs such as tamoxifen or raloxifene can help prevent breast cancer, by blocking hormones in the breast that potentially feed the disease.
- Surgery: Because additional surveillance is so effective, we do not recommend prophylactic breast removal. Still, we discuss surgery so you can make the best choice for you. We realize some women prefer surgery to uncertainty over their health or the need for extra screening.
Genetic Mutations and Breast Cancer
Genes pass along inherited information. But some missing, duplicated or miscoded genes increase risk for breast cancer, in women and men. While researchers have not identified all these genes, those we know include:
BRCA1 and BRCA2: Mutations in these genes cause up to half of hereditary breast cancer, with ties to ovarian cancer and other cancers. Approximately 65% to 70% of women with a BRCA1 mutation develop breast cancer, and approximately 45% to 50% with a BRCA2 mutation do. In women without a mutation, only 12% do. BRCA1 is more likely to cause triple-negative breast cancer, which is more challenging to treat. See our BRCA decision tool, created by Stanford doctors and scientists and used by women worldwide to weigh their options.
Other high-risk mutations: Some less common mutations can also significantly raise breast cancer risk. Some are associated with cancer syndromes that cause a variety of cancers. These mutations and syndromes include:
- CDH1 and hereditary diffuse gastric cancer
- PTEN and Cowden syndrome
- TP53 and Li-Fraumeni syndrome
Moderate-risk mutations: Mutations in ATM, PALB2, and CHEK2 genes increase breast cancer risk, but probably not by as much as the high-risk mutations do. They also slightly increase risk for other cancers, in both men and women.
Treatment & Wellness Care
Getting the right diagnosis is one of the most important steps in ensuring that you receive the most appropriate care. Our core imaging team consists of leading radiologists (doctors who specialize in diagnosing disease with imaging technology) and pathologists (specialists who analyze tissue samples) who focus solely on breast cancer.
Our specialists will provide you with personalized medical and surgical treatment options based on the most recent clinical and research advances. At weekly Tumor Board meetings, experts from multiple disciplines review cases that require more complex recommendations.
During treatment, we will carefully monitor how effective your treatment is and how well you are adjusting to it. We also offer comprehensive support services and therapies to help reduce your stress and increase your comfort. Learn about our wellness resources »
Our breast cancer surgeons are advancing innovative approaches to breast conservation, mastectomy, and breast reconstruction surgery that result in fewer procedures and less time in the hospital.
- Breast-conserving surgery (also known as lumpectomy)
- Mastectomy, including nipple-sparing mastectomy
- Breast reconstruction
We use the most advanced breast cancer radiation therapy techniques to target difficult-to-reach areas of the breast and protect nearby healthy tissue from exposure. Radiation therapies we use include:
- 3-D conformal radiation therapy
- Intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT)
- Intraoperative radiation therapy (IORT)
- Accelerated partial breast irradiation (APBI)
Breast Cancer Medical Therapy
Our doctors and researchers have been at the forefront of developing new cancer drugs for years, providing you with access to the most successful and groundbreaking therapies. Treatments we may recommend include:
close NEW DIAGNOSIS
Treatment & Wellness Care
If you are battling breast cancer recurrence or metastasis, we provide advanced diagnosis options and leading expertise to deliver the optimal care you need.
Our doctors will apply the latest knowledge and their expert clinical judgment to your particular circumstances. We aim to maximize your treatment success and limit side effects of therapy.
Our Tumor Genomics Program can identify the genetic fingerprint of your cancer to help identify targeted, cancer-fighting drugs that may be right for you.Through our extensive clinical trials portfolio, you may be able to receive promising new treatment approaches before they are widely available. For patients battling advanced hereditary breast cancer, we offer clinical trials for PARP inhibitors and other drugs that target the genetic mutation behind a breast cancer predisposition.
Medical Therapy
We have been at the forefront of cancer research for many years, providing you with early access to groundbreaking therapies. Learn about clinical trials that may offer promise for your diagnosis.
We offer the latest breast cancer radiation therapy treatments for recurrent or metastatic breast cancer. CyberKnife® radiosurgery, invented at Stanford, is one of our noninvasive approaches that precisely targets tumors, including tumors in the brain.
Comprehensive Support Services
From integrative medicine to nutrition consulting, our PathWell Program will design a personalized wellness plan to help you relax and improve your stamina as you go through treatment.
close RECURRENT & METASTATIC
Our comprehensive risk assessment can help when breast cancer appears to run in your family. Given that 5% to 10% of breast cancers likely have hereditary causes, we can offer additional steps to protect your health or adjust your treatment. Learn more about our Cancer Genetics Program »
Genetic Risk Assessment
Assessing your risk involves looking at your personal medical history and those on both sides of your family.
We may also recommend genetic testing, using the most-up-to-date techniques to look at many genes at once. We specialize in identifying lesser-known genetic mutations, which may otherwise go unrecognized.
Throughout the process, our genetic counselors help you work through implications for your health, life, and family. We can help you share information with relatives.
Learn more about cancer risk assessment with genetic testing and counseling »
Risk Management
We may find a known problem in your genes. Other times we may not, but your strong family history shows you might still need extra help. Either way, we can help you choose the intervention you feel most comfortable with:
- Additional surveillance: Evidence shows that combining mammograms with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) often finds breast cancer early, when it is more curable.
- Medications: Drugs such as tamoxifen or raloxifene can help prevent breast cancer, by blocking hormones in the breast that potentially feed the disease.
- Surgery: Because additional surveillance is so effective, we do not recommend prophylactic breast removal. Still, we discuss surgery so you can make the best choice for you. We realize some women prefer surgery to uncertainty over their health or the need for extra screening.
Genetic Mutations and Breast Cancer
Genes pass along inherited information. But some missing, duplicated or miscoded genes increase risk for breast cancer, in women and men. While researchers have not identified all these genes, those we know include:
BRCA1 and BRCA2: Mutations in these genes cause up to half of hereditary breast cancer, with ties to ovarian cancer and other cancers. Approximately 65% to 70% of women with a BRCA1 mutation develop breast cancer, and approximately 45% to 50% with a BRCA2 mutation do. In women without a mutation, only 12% do. BRCA1 is more likely to cause triple-negative breast cancer, which is more challenging to treat. See our BRCA decision tool, created by Stanford doctors and scientists and used by women worldwide to weigh their options.
Other high-risk mutations: Some less common mutations can also significantly raise breast cancer risk. Some are associated with cancer syndromes that cause a variety of cancers. These mutations and syndromes include:
- CDH1 and hereditary diffuse gastric cancer
- PTEN and Cowden syndrome
- TP53 and Li-Fraumeni syndrome
Moderate-risk mutations: Mutations in ATM, PALB2, and CHEK2 genes increase breast cancer risk, but probably not by as much as the high-risk mutations do. They also slightly increase risk for other cancers, in both men and women.
close Genetic Counseling
Breast Cancer
Our breast cancer specialists provide world-renowned care using breakthrough diagnostic testing and personalized treatments.
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