Breast Cancer: Can It Be Treated Naturally?

by Liza smith Passionate Writer

Breast cancer is common against women across the world. Prevention is better than its treatment. But due to molecular variation and complexity, it is treated using chemotherapy or radiotherapy. It is complicated and often leads to unwanted side-effects. However, there are alternatives available in the form of natural treatment for breast cancer. Plants and their extracts are used for centuries for treating every disease, including this disease. Herbal products are reliable due to their low-level of toxicity. Herbal medicines are readily accepted most patients suffering from the disease because of easy availability and lower cost of treatment. A lot of plants are useful in the treatment of the disease, but their effects are yet to be proved clinically.

Natural Treatment Options

The existing ways of treatment primarily rely on chemotherapy that uses cytotoxic agents for killing the cancer cells. However, the treatment affects healthy cells too. It is where the herbal treatments are preferred who would selectively target the cancerous cells. The herbal ways have less or selective toxicity towards the cancerous cells. Many studies have found that a variety of herbal compounds can be used instead of chemotherapy. But the effectiveness of treatment relies on the effectiveness of these treatments during the clinical trials.

Challenges are Aplenty

Breast cancer is the leading cause of death in females globally. As per a study, the rate of growth for the disease is only increasing, and one in ten women is at risk. The disease is spreading not just in industrialized countries, but developing countries are at risk too. Environmental and lifestyle factors are responsible for 10 to 15 percent of the cases. Other factors like age (above 50), family history of the disease, reproductive history, late pregnancy, and late menopause are said to cause the disease. Further, prolonged use of oral contraceptives and hormone-related therapies also, cause the disease.

The onset of the Disease

Cancer is a result of several molecular events. It starts with the mutation in the DNA molecule which codes the protein. These proteins trigger the cell-division, proliferation, and growth. If there is damage to the protein which regulates the cell cycle, it may lead to uncontrolled division and growth of the cells. This condition is termed as cancer. It is a disease in which the molecules alter which causes dysregulation, proliferation, angiogenesis, and metastasis. Breast cancer is the most prevalent variant of cancer, and it is characterized by other pathological types that have different clinical outcomes. It has different stages that arise from hyperproliferation due which there are changes in the ductal carcinoma, invasive carcinoma, and the metastatic stage.

The drugs for the disease include which protect against genomic stability by preventing damage to the DNA. It inhibits the cell cycle by disrupting the integrity or by inducing death of the cells and block the pathways responsible for the abnormal cell growth.