There are different opinions on the best treatment of DCIS. Surgical removal, with or without additional radiation therapy or tamoxifen, is the recommended treatment for DCIS by the National Cancer Institute. Surgery may be either a breast-conserving lumpectomy or a mastectomy (complete or partial removal of the affected breast). If a lumpectomy is used it is often combined with radiation therapy. Tamoxifen may be used as hormonal therapy if the cells show estrogen receptor positivity. Chemotherapy is not needed for DCIS since the disease is noninvasive.

While surgery reduces the risk of subsequent cancer, many people never develop cancer even without treatment and there associated side effects. There is no evidence comparing surgery with watchful waiting and some feel watchful waiting may be a reasonable option in certain cases.

Use of radiation therapy after lumpectomy provides equivalent survival rates to mastectomy, although there is a slightly higher risk of recurrent disease in the same breast in the form of further DCIS or invasive breast cancer. Systematic reviews (including a Cochrane review) indicate that the addition of radiation therapy to lumpectomy reduces recurrence of DCIS or later onset of invasive breast cancer in comparison with breast-conserving surgery alone, without affecting mortality. The Cochrane review did not find any evidence that the radiation therapy had any long-term toxic effects. While the authors caution that longer follow-up will be required before a definitive conclusion can be reached regarding long-term toxicity, they point out that ongoing technical improvements should further restrict radiation exposure in healthy tissues. They do recommend that comprehensive information on potential side effects is given to women who receive this treatment. The addition of radiation therapy to lumpectomy appears to reduce the risk of local recurrence to approximately 12%, of which approximately half will be DCIS and half will be invasive breast cancer; the risk of recurrence is 1% for women undergoing mastectomy.

While most cases require no treatment, therapy options include cryotherapy, application of a topical salicylic acid compound, surgical and laser ablation.

The condition is usually self-limiting, and thus not indicated for surgery.

Most fibroadenomas are simply monitored. Some are treated by surgical excision. They are removed with a small margin of normal breast tissue if the preoperative clinical investigations are suggestive of the necessity of this procedure. A small amount of normal tissue must be removed in case the lesion turns out to be a phyllodes tumour on microscopic examination.

Because needle biopsy is often a reliable diagnostic investigation, some doctors may decide not to operate to remove the lesion, and instead opt for clinical follow-up to observe the lesion over time using clinical examination and mammography to determine the rate of growth, if any, of the lesion. A growth rate of less than sixteen percent per month in women under fifty years of age, and a growth rate of less than thirteen percent per month in women over fifty years of age have been published as safe growth rates for continued non-operative treatment and clinical observation.

Some fibroadenomas respond to treatment with ormeloxifene.

Fibroadenomas have not been shown to recur following complete excision or transform into phyllodes tumours following partial or incomplete excision.

Treatment may include the following:

- Surgery with or without radiation

- Radiotherapy

Fast neutron therapy has been used successfully to treat salivary gland tumors, and has shown to be significantly more effective than photons in studies treating unresectable salivary gland tumors.

- Chemotherapy

Nipple adenomas are non-cancerous growths, which can recur if not completely surgically removed. There are reported cases of cancers arising within nipple adenomas, and following excision of nipple adenomas, but these are rare occurrences.

Treatment is problematic unless an underlying endocrine disorder can be successfully diagnosed and treated.

A study by Goepel and Panhke provided indications that the inflammation should be controlled by bromocriptine even in absence of hyperprolactinemia.

Antibiotic treatment is given in case of acute inflammation. However, this alone is rarely effective, and the treatment of a subareaolar abscess is primarily surgical. In case of an acute abscess, incision and drainage are performed, followed by antibiotics treatment. However, in contrast to peripheral breast abscess which often resolves after antibiotics and incision and drainage, subareaolar breast abscess has a tendency to recur, often accompanied by the formation of fistulas leading from inflammation area to the skin surface. In many cases, in particular in patients with recurrent subareolar abscess, the excision of the affected lactiferous ducts is indicated, together with the excision of any chronic abscess or fistula. This can be performed using radial or circumareolar incision.

There is no universal agreement on what should be the standard way of treating the condition. In a recent review article, antibiotics treatment, ultrasound evaluation and, if fluid is present, ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration of the abscess with an 18 gauge needle, under saline lavage until clear, has been suggested as initial line of treatment for breast abscess in puerperal and non-puerperal cases including central (subareolar) abscess (see breast abscess for details). Elsewhere, it has been stated that treatment of subareolar abscess is unlikely to work if it does not address the ducts as such.

Duct resection has been traditionally used to treat the condition; the original Hadfield procedure has been improved many times but long term success rate remains poor even for radical surgery. Petersen even suggests that damage caused by previous surgery is a frequent cause of subareolar abscesses. Goepel and Pahnke and other authors recommend performing surgeries only with concomitant bromocriptine treatment.

Treatment of invasive carcinoma of no special type (NST) depends on the size of the mass (size of the tumor measured in its longest direction):

- <4 cm mass: surgery to remove the main tumor mass and to sample the lymph nodes in the axilla. The stage of the tumor is ascertained after this first surgery. Adjuvant therapy (i.e., treatment after surgery) may include a combination of chemotherapy, radiotherapy, hormonal therapy (e.g., tamoxifen) and/or targeted therapy (e.g., trastuzumab). More surgery is occasionally needed to complete the removal of the initial tumor or to remove recurrences.

- 4 cm or larger mass: modified (a less aggressive form of radical mastectomy) radical mastectomy (because any malignant mass in excess of 4 cm in size exceeds the criteria for a lumpectomy) along with sampling of the lymph nodes in the axilla.

The treatment options offered to an individual patient are determined by the form, stage and location of the cancer, and also by the age, history of prior disease and general health of the patient. Not all patients are treated the same way.

Drugs used after and in addition to surgery are called adjuvant therapy. Chemotherapy or other types of therapy prior to surgery are called neoadjuvant therapy. Aspirin may reduce mortality from breast cancer.

There are currently three main groups of medications used for adjuvant breast cancer treatment: hormone-blocking agents, chemotherapy, and monoclonal antibodies.

Hormone blocking therapy

Chemotherapy

Monoclonal antibodies

In breast cancer survivors, it is recommended to first consider non-hormonal options for menopausal effects, such as bisphosphonates or selective estrogen receptor modulators (SERMs) for osteoporosis, and vaginal estrogen for local symptoms. Observational studies of systemic hormone replacement therapy after breast cancer are generally reassuring. If hormone replacement is necessary after breast cancer, estrogen-only therapy or estrogen therapy with an intrauterine device with progestogen may be safer options than combined systemic therapy.

Some current treatment options are:

- Non-invasive:

- For small stones, hydration, moist heat therapy, NSAIDs (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) occasionally, and having the patient take any food or beverage that is bitter and/or sour. Sucking on citrus fruits, such as a lemon or orange, may increase salivation and promote spontaneous expulsion of the stone.

- Some stones may be massaged out by a specialist.

- Shock wave therapy (Extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy).

- Minimally invasive:

- Sialendoscopy

- Surgical:

- An ENT or oral/maxillofacial surgeon may cannulate the duct to remove the stone (sialectomy).

- A surgeon may make a small incision near the stone to remove it.

- In some cases when stones continually reoccur the offending salivary duct is removed.

- Supporting treatment:

- To prevent infection while the stone is lodged in the duct, antibiotics are sometimes used.

Initially, an evaluation of malignancy is always indicated. If no abnormality is found, then a surgical duct excision may resolve the symptoms. Treatment also depends on whether single-duct or multiple-duct discharge is present, and whether the symptoms of nipple discharge are distressing to the patient. In some cases, there may be no need for any further intervention; in others, microdochectomy or a total duct excision may be appropriate. If the patient wishes to conserve the ability to breastfeed and only single-duct discharge is present, then ductoscopy or galactography should be considered in view of performing a localised duct excision. Once the cause of the nipple discharge is found, it will be treated by the health provider who will evaluate:

- Whether changing any medicine that has caused the discharge is appropriate

- Whether any lumps should be removed

- Whether some or all of the breast ducts should be removed

- If a prescription for cream to treat skin changes around the nipple will be helpful

- If medicines to treat a health condition are required

If all the tests are normal, treatment may not be necessary. A follow up mamogram mammogram and physical exam may be prescribed within 1 year.

The appropriate treatment in contemporary western medicine is complete surgical excision of the abnormal growth with a small amount of normal surrounding breast tissue.

The FDA has approved cryoablation of a fibroadenoma as a safe, effective and minimally-invasive alternative to open surgical removal in 2001. In the procedure, ultrasound imaging is used to guide a probe into the mass of breast tissue. Extremely cold temperatures are then used to destroy the abnormal cells, and over time the cells are reabsorbed into the body. The procedure can be performed as an outpatient surgery using local anesthesia only, and leaves substantially less scarring than open surgical procedures and no breast tissue deformation.

The American Society of Breast Surgeons recommends the following criteria to establish a patient as a candidate for cryoablation of a fibroadenoma:

1. The lesion must be sonographically visible.

2. The diagnosis of a fibroadenoma must be confirmed histologically.

3. The lesion should be less than 4 cm in diameter.

In order to prevent further cysts and infections from forming, the thyroglossal duct and all of its branches are removed from the throat and neck area. A procedure, known as the Sistrunk procedure, is considered to be the standard procedure and involves removal of portions of the hyoid bone and core tissue of the suprahyoid region. Cysts will often reoccur if the entire duct is not removed, so reoccurrence requires a wider range of tissue to be removed in a subsequent surgery.

Delaying the surgical procedure almost always leads to recurrent infections, which will continue to delay the needed treatment. The Sistrunk procedure has a reoccurrence rate of less than 5%, proving it is extremely effective at removing the majority of traces of the persistent thyroglossal duct.

Another method of protracting inverted nipples is to have the nipple pierced. This method will only be effective if the nipple can be temporarily protracted. If pierced when protracted, the jewellery may prevent the nipple from returning to its inverted state. The success of both of these methods, from a cosmetic standpoint, is mixed. The piercing may actually correct the overly taut connective tissue to allow the nipple to become detached from underlying connective tissue and resume a more typical appearance.

Other strategies for protracting inverted nipples include regularly stimulating the nipples to a protruding state, in an attempt to gradually loosen the nipple tissue. Some sex toys designed for nipple stimulation, such as suction cups or clamps may also cause inverted nipples to protract or stay protracted longer. There are special devices specifically designed to draw out inverted nipples, or a home-made nipple protractor can be constructed out of a 10 ml disposable syringe. These methods are often used in preparation for breast-feeding, which can sometimes cause inverted nipples to become protracted permanently.

Two methods which are now discouraged are breast shells and the Hoffman technique. Breast shells may be used to apply gentle constant pressure to the areola to try to break any adhesions under the skin that are preventing the nipple from being drawn out. The shells are worn inside the bra. The Hoffman technique is a nipple stretching exercise that may help loosen the adhesions at the base of the nipple when performed several times a day. Although both techniques are heavily promoted, a 1992 study found that not only do shells and the Hoffman technique not promote more successful breastfeeding, but they may also actually disrupt it.

Treatment of choroid plexus carcinoma depends on the location and severity of the tumor. Possible interventions include inserting shunts, surgical resection, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy. Inserting a shunt could help to drain the CSF and relieve pressure on the brain. The best outcomes occur when total resection of the tumor is combined with adjuvant chemotherapy and radiotherapy. In the event of subtotal resection or widespread leptomeningeal disease, craniospinal irradiation is often used.

The treatment of hyperplasia would consist upon "which"; in the case of benign prostate hyperplasia the combination of alpha-1-receptor blockers and 5-alpha-reductase inhibitors are effective.

In order to remove it completely, surgery may be an option.It relieves the hydrocephalus (excess water in the brain) about half of the time.

Another treatment is chemotherapy, recommended for patients with severe problem.

Wide excision is the treatment of choice, although attempting to preserve hearing. Based on the anatomic site, it is difficult to completely remove, and so while there is a good prognosis, recurrences or persistence may be seen. There is no metastatic potential. Patients who succumb to the disease, usually do so because of other tumors within the von Hippel-Lindau complex rather than from this tumor.

Danazol, an estrogen biosynthesis inhibitor, tamoxifen, an antagonistic modulator of the estrogen receptor, and bromocriptine, a prolactin-lowering D receptor agonist, are the main drugs used in the treatment of mastodynia and are effective.

Other medications and supplements have been found to be of benefit. Spironolactone (Aldactone), low dose oral contraceptives, low-dose estrogen have helped to relieve pain. Topical anti-inflammatory medications can be used for localized pain. For anti hormonal treatment, danazol (Danocrine) can be helpful. Tamoxifen citrate is used in some cases of severe breast pain. Vitamin E is not effective in relieving pain nor is Evening primrose oil. Vitamin B and Vitamin A have not been consistently found to be beneficial. Flaxseed has shown some activity in the treatment of cyclic mastalgia.

Pain may be relieved by the use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or, for more severe localized pain, by local anaesthetic. Pain may be relieved psychologically by reassurance that it does not signal a serious underlying problem, and an active life style can also effect an improvement.

Information regarding how the pain is real but not necessarily caused by disease can help to understand the problem. Learning breast self-examination helps to orient the woman to normal and expected texture and structure of the breast and nipple. Yearly breast exams may be suggested. Counseling can also be to describe changes that vary during the monthly cycle. Women on hormone replacement therapy may benefit from a dose adjustment. Another non-pharmacological measure to help relieve symptoms of pain may be to use good bra support. Breasts change during adolescence and menopause and refitting may be beneficial. Applying heat and/or ice can bring relief. Dietary changes may also help with the pain. Methylxanthines can be eliminated from the diet to see if a sensitivity is present. Some clinicians recommending a reduction in salt, though no evidence supports this practice.

Treatment of atrophic rhinitis can be either medical or surgical.

Medical measures include:

- Nasal irrigation using normal saline

- Nasal irrigation and removal of crusts using alkaline nasal solutions prepared by dissolving a spoonful of powder containing one part sodium bicarbonate, one part sodium biborate and two part sodium chloride.

- 25% glucose in glycerine can be applied to the nasal mucosa to inhibit the growth of proteolytic organisms which produce foul smell.

- Local antibiotics, such as chloromycetine.

- Vitamin D (Kemicetine).

- Estradiol spray for regeneration of seromucinous glands and vascularization of mucosa.

- Systemic streptomycin (1g/day) against Klebsiella organisms.

- Oral potassium iodide for liquefaction of secretion.

- Placental extract injected in the submucosa.

Surgical interventions include:

- Young's operation.

- Modified Young's operation.

- Narrowing of nasal cavities, submucosal injection of Teflon paste, section and medial displacement of the lateral wall of the nose.

- Transposition of parotid duct to maxillary sinus or nasal mucosa.

Although generally benign, the cyst must be removed if the patient exhibits difficulty in breathing or swallowing, or if the cyst is infected. Even if these symptoms are not present, the cyst may be removed to eliminate the chance of infection or development of a carcinoma, or for cosmetic reasons if there is unsightly protrusion from the neck.

Thyroid scans and thyroid function studies are ordered preoperatively; this is important to demonstrate that normally functioning thyroid tissue is in its usual area.

Surgical management options include the Sistrunk procedure, en bloc central neck dissection, suture-guided transhyoid pharyngotomy, and Koempel's supra-hyoid technique. Cystectomy is an inadequate approach.