Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy is the use of drugs to kill cancer cells. Chemotherapy for breast cancer is usually a combination of drugs. The drugs may be give by mouth or by injection. Either way, chemotherapy is a systemic therapy because the drugs enter the bloodstream and travel through the body.

The oncologist will recommend a treatment plan according to your individual case. The treatment will depend on your age, whether or not you are still having your periods, the risk for spread or recurrence, and your general health. The drugs you take will depend on the type and stage of cancer, where it is located, how much or how fast it has grown, and how it is affecting you. Chemotherapy is used to:

• Decrease the chances that cancer will come back after breast cancer surgery.
• Shrink breast cancer after surgery, when the tumor is large or it is inflammatory cancer.
• Control the disease when breast cancer is found in the lungs, bones, liver, brain, or other parts of the body.

Chemotherapy drugs travel throughout the body to slow the growth of cancer cells or kill them. Often, the drugs are injected into the bloodstream through an intravenous (IV) needle that is inserted into a vein. Some drugs are given as pills. Treatment can be as short as a few months or as long as 2 years.

Chemotherapy is usually given in cycles during which you have treatment for a period of time, and then you have a few weeks to recover before your next treatment. Depending on the drugs you take, you may have your chemotherapy at home, in your doctor's office, in a clinic, in a hospital's outpatient department, or in a hospital. How often and how long you have chemotherapy will depend on the type and stage of breast cancer, the drugs that are used and how your body responds to them, and the goals of the treatment. You should follow the schedule prescribed by your doctor.

Throughout chemotherapy, your oncologist and nurse will watch how you respond to the therapy. You will have frequent physical exams and blood tests. You should check with your doctor before taking any other medications during your treatment.

Chemotherapy affects all fast-growing cells throughout the body. Therefore, in addition to killing cancer cells, it also kills fast-growing normal cells. This what may cause side effects such as hair loss, mouth sores, and fatigue.

Possible problems:
Chemotherapy can cause short-term and long-term side effects that are different for each patient, depending on the drugs used.

The most common short-term side effects that may appear during chemotherapy include: loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, constipation, fatigue, infections, bleeding, weight change, mouth sores, and throat soreness. Some of these problems may continue for some time after chemotherapy ends.

Some drugs cause short-t em hair loss. Hair will grow back either during treatment or after treatment is completed. Before you start chemotherapy, you may want to have your hair cut short, or buy a wig, hat, or scarves that you can wear while you are going through treatment.

Serious long-term side effects may include weakening of your heart, damages to your ovaries, infertility, early menopause, or second cancers such as leukemia (cancer of the blood). These side effects may not appear ntil later, some time after chemotherapy is completed.

Click here to view Chemotherapy Guidelines

The material in the above sections is taken in its entirety from the National Cancer Institute Booklet (No. 98-4251) entitled, "Understanding Breast Cancer Treatment: A Guide for Patients."