Breast Cancer
There are over 3 million women in the United States with a history of breast cancer. The experienced team at Coastal Cancer Center, with four locations throughout the Grand Strand area, has provided the highest quality and most advanced treatments available for cancer and blood diseases, for more than 36 years. To find the highest quality breast cancer services, call Coastal Cancer Center to book an appointment today at the nearest office in Myrtle Beach, Conway, Loris, or Murrells Inlet, South Carolina.
Breast Cancer Q & A
What is breast cancer?
Breast cancer develops in your breast cells. It’s the second most common form of cancer affecting women in the United States after skin cancer.
There are several types of breast cancer that start in distinct parts of your breast, including the ducts, the lobules, and even the tissue in between. These cancers range from noninvasive to invasive and metastatic. Metastatic forms of cancer are those that have spread to other parts of your body.
Breast cancer is more prevalent in women, but can also occur in men.
What are the symptoms of breast cancer?
Breast cancer symptoms can vary depending on its type, but often include:
- Changes in the appearance, shape, or size of your breast
- Thickened areas of tissue or lumps in your breast
- A newly inverted nipple
- Visible flaking, peeling, scaling, or crusting of the skin around your nipple or breast
- In some cases, you might also notice overall changes to your breast skin, like dimpling, redness, or pitting that resembles the surface of an orange.
How is breast cancer diagnosed?
Breast cancer is usually diagnosed through a physical breast exam; X-ray procedures like mammograms, ultrasounds, and MRIs; and by removing breast cells in a biopsy for additional testing.
After diagnosing your breast cancer, your provider also determines the extent of the disease. These additional tests may include blood tests and bone scans, as well as CT and PET scans.
Coastal Cancer Center offers a comprehensive collection of expert diagnostic imaging at their Conway and Myrtle Beach locations, including full laboratory services.
How is breast cancer treated?
As leaders in cancer treatment, the providers at Coastal Cancer Center offer the most advanced breast cancer treatments available, such as:
- Lumpectomy: removes the tumor and small amounts of healthy tissue
- Mastectomy: removes all the breast tissue
- Sentinel lobe biopsy: removes some of your lymph nodes from your armpit
- Axillary lymph node dissection: removes additional lymph nodes
Additional treatment for breast cancer also includes chemotherapy drugs to kill cancer cells, and radiation therapy using targeted beams of energy to destroy your cancer cells. Your provider might also suggest hormone-blocking therapy, targeted therapy drugs, or supportive care relieve your symptoms and discomfort.
As the largest provider of cancer treatment in the area, Coastal Cancer Center offers infusion centers at each of its locations. One of their physicians, Dr. Emily Touloukian, is also the chair of the Breast Cancer Tumor Board at Grand Strand Regional Medical Center.
Call Coastal Cancer Center today for expert breast cancer treatment.