About Breast Cancer Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy is a word that strikes fear in the hearts of many. Especially anyone who has undergone the therapy or known someone who has are aware of just what it means to undergo chemotherapy. It is a very difficult and painful process, but one that can bring life saving results.
Breast cancer chemotherapy is much the same as chemotherapy used in the case of other types of cancer. It can be used in situations where breast cancer has developed to different degrees, but is usually reserved for more advanced cases, particularly where the cancer has spread to other parts of the body.
Chemotherapy for breast cancer might be done as combined modality chemotherapy. This means that the therapy is used in conjunction with such other treatments as radiation therapy or surgery. Combination chemotherapy is when a few different drugs are used together in order to keep the patient from developing and immunity to the drugs.
There are three main types of chemotherapy that are used for breast cancer chemotherapy. They each have their specific uses. Some are used in order to eliminate cancer, in other cases it is used to reduce the size of tumors or to prolong life.
In neoadjuvant chemotherapy the drugs are given before surgery is performed. This is done with the intent of reducing the size of the tumors, thus making their removal easier.
Adjuvant chemotherapy is when the drugs are administered after surgery. This type of chemotherapy for breast cancer is done to improve the chances that the cancer will not recur by killing off any remaining cancer cells that were not removed.
Palliative chemotherapy is used when the cancer has spread to various parts of the body. It is aimed at killing cancer that is not located in one concentrated area where it could be removed surgically. In advanced stages breast cancer can spread to other areas of the body, in which case this type of breast cancer chemotherapy will be most useful.
Knowing which type of chemotherapy for breast cancer will be most effective for an individual is the responsibility of the doctors involved with the patient. They will be best prepared to recommend treatments and have them carried out at the right time and in the right way, ensuring the best possible chance of success, which is the most important object for anyone suffering from breast cancer. In some cases newer or experimental methods of chemotherapy might be used with a good chance of success.
Breast cancer treatment chemo is as trying as any other type. It means a great deal of fatigue, pain and many other side effects such as hair loss, nausea, malnutrition and many others. These are all difficult to endure and having a support group is very important in getting through breast cancer chemotherapy.
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