There are two strategies that work well to get rid of the cancer cells in the breast. The first is having a mastectomy, or removal of the whole breast. The other is to have a lumpectomy that removes only the obvious area of cancer and a margin of tissue around it. Many times a lumpectomy is done in combination with radiation to destroy any residual cells. When the breast cancer is unable to be treated locally, systemic treatment is recommended.
Hormonal therapy is an option some women choose.
The drug tamoxifen has been successful for some. Tamoxifen does not kill cancer cells, but actually prevents them from growing. For postmenopausal women with breast cancer, this seems to be more effective than chemotherapy in extending their lives. Chemotherapy is the other systemic option, usually given to premenopausal women with any positive lymph nodes, no matter how small. Postmenopausal women usually do better with hormonal therapy.