Breast Cancer Care

Surgery often plays a vital role in cancer diagnosis and treatment. Emerson’s breast surgeons have extensive experience treating breast cancer. From biopsies to cancer surgery to plastic and reconstructive surgery, they are committed to performing the most minimally-invasive procedures possible.

Learn more about Breast Cancer Surgery at Emerson.

Chemotherapy is an important part of many cancer treatment plans. The Cancer Center’s chemotherapy infusion suite, the Naka Infusion Center, offers the most advanced therapy in a private, comfortable, state-of-the-art facility staffed by cancer specialists. Family members or friends are welcome to accompany patients during treatment.

Learn more about the Naka Infusion Center at Emerson.

Radiation therapy is an invaluable cancer-fighting therapy and is usually given once a day over many weeks, so convenience and ease of access to the treatment facility are critical. The Massachusetts General Hospital Department of Radiation Oncology at Emerson Hospital provides all this. The joint program includes the most up-to-date and highly accurate treatment and planning technologies available at the major downtown hospitals in one convenient location.

Recent advances in radiation treatment that are available to Emerson patients include:

• 3-D Conformal Radiation Therapy — CT-scan guided treatment planning, enabling physicians to pinpoint the precise tumor location using an on-site CT scan.
• Intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) allows physicians and physicists to “sculpt” radiation beams around the tumor, thus avoiding unnecessary radiation to normal tissues and structures.
• Image-Guided Radiation Therapy — Imaging tools within the linear accelerator that enable precise patient repositioning from one treatment session to the next.

Learn more about Mass General Radiation Oncology at Emerson.

While cancer treatment can save your life, it also can leave you feeling tired and weak. To help you regain your strength and functioning, reduce fatigue, and reclaim the best-possible quality of life during and after surgery, chemotherapy, or radiation therapy, specially-trained oncology therapists at Emerson’s Clough Family Center for Rehabilitative and Sports Therapies help patients with physical, occupational, and speech therapy needs during and after treatment. These cancer rehabilitation programs help patients during all phases of their journey, including after treatment, to prevent or lessen the development of long-term issues such as:

• Lymphedema
• Fatigue
• Restricted range of motion
• Fibrosis/scar tissue/cording
• Deconditioning
• Balance issues
• Pain
• Neuropathy
• Cognitive deficits (“Chemo Brain”)

Whether you require physical, occupational, or speech-language therapy, our skilled oncology therapists will develop a cancer rehabilitation program that focuses on your specific needs.Learn more about Emerson’s Clough Family Center for Rehabilitative and Sports Therapies.

A clinical trial is a study of volunteer patients who answer questions about the most effective treatment methods. Every treatment for breast cancer that is currently available first went through a clinical trial. When a patient is enrolled in a clinical trial, they are watched closely by the trial contact for treatment effects.. A patient who enrolls in a clinical trial may withdraw at any time and resume treatment with standard therapy.

Deciding to participate in a clinical trial is a very personal decision. Your medical oncologist is the best place to start when seeking more clinical trial information. Other resources include:

• National Institutes of Health (NIH)
• American Cancer Society — contact a clinical trials specialist at 800-303-5691