Why Experts Are Rethinking Chemotherapy for Breast Cancer?

What is chemotherapy?
It is also called “chemo,” it’s a method to treat cancer that uses drugs to kill cancer cells. Not all women with breast cancer is necessity of chemo, but there are several situations in which chemo may be recommended.

1.  After surgery (adjuvant chemotherapy)

This method is used to try to kill the cancer cells that might have spread all over the body, even on imaging tests. If these cells are allowed grow, then again it will damage the cells in whole body. But this Adjuvant Chemo method will lower the risk of breast cancer coming back.

2. Before surgery (neoadjuvant chemotherapy)

This method is used to try to shrink the tumor so it can be removed easily through surgery. To this method cancer will responds better. This also lower the risk of breast cancer coming back.

3.  For advanced breast cancer

This method is used as a treatment when women whose cancer have spread outside the breast or underarm area, the treatment method will depend on how long it works and how they tolerate to it.

Goals of Chemotherapy Treatment

If doctor has suggested chemotherapy to treat Breast cancer, it’s important to know the goals of treatment when making treatment decisions. There are three important goals for chemotherapy (chemo) in cancer treatment:

1. Cure

2. Control

3. Palliation

Drugs used for Chemotherapy in Breast Cancer

1.  Cyclophosphamide (Cytoxan)

2. Carboplatin (Paraplatin)

3. Vinorelbine (Navelbine)

4.  Capecitabine (Xeloda)

5.  Gemcitabine (Gemzar)

Planning Chemotherapy Treatments

1.  Determining which chemotherapy drugs to use

Physicians will suggest the cancer patients that which medications should be taken for the chemotherapy during the treatment to get good results and to kill the cancer cells.

2. Determining chemotherapy doses

Every patient who is suffering with cancer sickness they must make a note of doses for chemotherapy during the treatment. So, that they will get know how to take a medication.

3.   Determining a chemotherapy schedule (cycle)

Always make a schedule for medications. That means you must make notes of timings, dose quantity and which food take during the treatment, etc.

4. Changing chemotherapy doses and schedules

Whenever the schedule of chemotherapy is started then with the suggestion of physicians you must change the schedule and quantity of doses for further process of treatment.

Possible side effects of chemo for breast cancer

Chemo drugs can cause side effects. These depend on the type and dose of drugs given, and the length of treatment. Some of the common possible side effects include:

Ø  Hair loss

Ø  Nail changes

Ø  Mouth sores

Ø  Loss of appetite or weight changes

Ø  Menstrual changes and fertility issues

Ø  Heart damage

Ø  Nerve damage (neuropathy)

Ø  Hand-foot syndrome

Ø  Chemo brain

Ø  Increased risk of leukemia

Ø  Feeling unwell or tired (fatigue)

Chemo as well affect the blood-forming cells of the bone marrow, which can lead to:

Ø  Increased chance of infections (from low white blood cell counts)

Ø  Easy bruising or bleeding (from low blood platelet counts)

Ø  Fatigue (from low red blood cell counts and other reasons)

To know about this topic please join with us in 4^th World Conference on Breast and Cervical Cancer which is Scheduled on November 14-15, 2019 at Amsterdam, Netherlands.

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