Breast Cancer Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy is used extensively to treat breast cancer. Breast cancer chemotherapy is applied in different ways.

Adjuvant Chemotherapy

In adjuvant chemotherapy, drugs are given to patients to stop recurrence of cancer after the radiation therapy or surgery. In breast cancer, it is highly possible that cancer cells spread other areas of the body. Such cancer cells are killed using medication.

Neo-adjuvant Chemotherapy

Neo-adjuvant chemotherapy is applied prior to surgery. Sometimes, it is required to shrink the size of the tumor to make surgery easier.

Various chemotherapy drugs are used to treat breast cancer. They are doxorubicin (Adriamycin), doxil, epirubicin, docetaxel, paclitaxel, 5 fluorouracil, gemcitabine and herceptin.

Chemotherapy is applied in cycles. Duration of chemotherapy cycles is 2 to 4 weeks. Mostly combination of two or more drugs is used to treat breast cancer. However, single drug therapy is applied when cancer spread to other areas.

There are various methods by which chemotherapy drugs are administered. It may be taken orally, intravenously, injected into muscle or applied on skin. Whatever may be the method of administration; chemotherapy drugs are absorbed in blood and kill the cancer cell.

Though chemotherapy drugs are effective in killing cancer cells, they also kill healthy body cell in the process. Side effects associated with breast chemotherapy are nausea, fatigue, hair loss, low while blood cell counts and diarrhea. However, do not take any medicine without consulting your physicians if you are suffering from any of the above conditions.