The Use of Chemotherapy to Treat Breast Cancer
There are many different ways to treat breast cancer. The decision about how to treat cancer is dependent upon the type of breast cancer, the stage of the cancer, the health of the patient and the patient's treatment goals. One of the most common ways to treat breast cancer is with chemotherapy.
Chemotherapy is a term that is used a lot in reference to cancer treatment. It refers to the use of drugs that are designed to kill cancer cells. Chemotherapy (also referred to as "chemo") treats cancer throughout the body. So, if the cancer has spread from the breast then the chemotherapy would treat the other affected areas as well.
There is No One Chemotherapy Drug or Treatment Plan
There are many different drugs and combinations of drugs that are referred to as chemotherapy. Your oncologist and medical team will decide which drug or drugs will be most effective in treating your breast cancer.
Chemotherapy can be administered intravenously or by a pill. It is most often given in cycles where patients receive treatment for a period of time, followed by a rest and recovery period and then another treatment period and recovery period to be followed sequentially for a set amount of time.
Chemotherapy is sometimes administered in the hospital, but not always. If your treatment plan included intravenous chemotherapy then it will be administered in a hospital, clinic or doctor's office. If the treatment plans calls for pills instead of intravenous treatments then your medical team will decide whether the chemotherapy should be administered at home, your doctor's office, clinic or hospital.
Chemotherapy may be given prior to surgery, after surgery or instead of surgery depending on the type of cancer, size of the cancer and overall treatment plan recommended by your oncology team.
Chemotherapy Side Effects
Chemotherapy drugs are not able to differentiate between healthy cells and cancerous cells. Therefore, the drugs destroy both types of cells and often produce side effects for patients. Many patients may experience hair loss, nausea and, fatigue during chemotherapy treatments. There are drugs available to help combat any nausea or vomiting.
Some chemotherapy drugs can produce more serious side effects such as damage to major organs like the heart and kidneys and a substantial decrease in the number of white blood cells that are necessary to fight infections. Your medical team will discuss these risks with you and explain why they believe that the benefits of the treatment outweigh the associated risks.
Chemotherapy is one option for treating breast cancer. It has proven to be effective for many patients and is often used as part of a treatment regime. Of course, every treatment plan should be individualized and each patient should discuss the benefits and risks of chemotherapy with his or her oncologist prior to beginning treatment.