Breast Care & Research Center Our Services
Individualized, comprehensive treatment plans are developed for each patient, guided by the exchange of knowledge and opinions at weekly Breast Care and Research Center meetings.
Patients have access to the most advanced diagnostic and treatment options available. Supportive care is also available through the CompleteLife Program whose staff compassionately support and educate our patients by tending to the emotional, mental, social and spiritual needs of our patients.
Diagnositic Tools
Breast cancer diagnosis may be aided by one or more of the following tools:
- clinical examination to check for lumps or other changes
- breast ultrasound, mammography, and other imaging tests
- ductal lavage to collect cells from milk ducts for examination
- needle localized excisional biopsy to surgically remove the entire tumor
- sentinel node biopsy to remove and examine the first lymph node(s) to which cancer cells are likely to spread
- stereotactic or ultrasound-guided core biopsy to remove a sample of abnormal tissue for examination under a microscope
- special pathology procedures to examine cells and tissues under a microscope
Treatment Options
Breast cancer treatment options include one of more of the following:
- lumpectomy and other breast-conserving surgeries to remove the cancer
- mastectomy to remove the breast, either partially or completely
- reconstruction surgery to reshape the breast following mastectomy
- chemotherapy to kill cancer cells with drugs
- radiotherapy to kill cancer cells and shrink tumors
- hormonal therapy to slow or stop tumor growth by using synthetic hormones or drugs to block the body’s natural hormones, or by surgically removing the gland that makes the hormones
IU Simon Cancer Center patients have access to all standard treatment therapies and, for those who qualify, state of the science clinical trials for care options not yet available elsewhere. Information is also available about ongoing clinical studies elsewhere in the United States.