Breast cancer chemo
Chemotherapy (chemotherapy) treatment with the cancer killing drugs are administered intravenously (by injection into a vein) or orally. The drugs travel through the bloodstream to reach cancer cells in many parts of the body. Chemotherapy is given in cycles, with each treatment period, followed by a recovery period. Treatment usually lasts several months.
Chemotherapy is the use of anti-cancer (cytotoxic) drugs to destroy cancer cells. The goal of chemotherapy is the maximum damage to cancer cells while doing so that the minimal damage to normal tissue. Women with chemotherapy for breast cancer:
before surgery to reduce cancer. This is known as neo-adjuvant chemotherapy.
After the operation, as the doctors that there is a risk of recurrence of cancer. This is known as adjuvant chemotherapy.
When chemotherapy is used?
There are several situations in which chemotherapy may be recommended.
Adjuvant chemotherapy: Systemic therapy administered to patients with no evidence of tumor after surgery is called adjuvant therapy. Although surgery is used to display all cancers that can be removed, adjuvant therapy are used to destroy any cancer cells left behind can not be seen. Adjuvant therapy after breast-conserving surgery or mastectomy reduces the risk of breast cancer return. Both chemotherapy and hormonal therapy can be used as adjuvant treatment.
Neoadjuvant chemotherapy, chemotherapy given before surgery is called neoadjuvant therapy. Often the same therapy neoadjuvant chemotherapy used as adjuvant therapy used (it is only granted for the operation rather than later). In terms of survival, there is no difference between giving chemotherapy before or after surgery. The great advantage of neoadjuvant chemotherapy is that it is possible to reduce the large tumors are therefore small enough to be removed by lumpectomy instead of mastectomy. Another possible benefit of neoadjuvant chemotherapy is that physicians can see how the cancer responds to chemotherapy. If the tumor does not shrink, the doctor may try different chemotherapeutic drugs.
Chemotherapy for advanced breast cancer: Chemotherapy can also be used as a treatment of choice for women who have breast cancer and outside the armpit area distributed at the time of diagnosis is made, or if it spreads after treatments Home. The duration of treatment depends on whether the tumor is shrinking, as it shrinks, and how a woman tolerates the treatment.
As You like It Chemotherapy drugs are usually given to you as an outpatient, either by injection into a vein (intravenously) or in the form of tablets. Chemotherapy into a vein, as one session of treatment, usually within a few hours. This is followed by a rest period of several weeks, allowing the body to recover from any adverse treatment. A complete cycle of chemotherapy is likely to take 4-6 months.
Drug Used
There are many different chemotherapy drugs used to treat breast cancer, and are often used in combination (called chemotherapy).
The chemotherapy drugs most common are:
cyclophosphamide
epirubicin
fluorouracil (5FU) (5FU)
methotrexate
Paclitaxel (Taxol) (Taxol)
doxorubicin (adriamycin ®) (Adriamycin ®)
docetaxel (Taxotere ®). (Taxotere ®).
Other drugs may also be used.
Commonly used chemotherapy combinations are:
FEC – 5FU, epirubicin and cyclophosphamide
AC – doxorubicin (adriamycin ®) and cyclophosphamide
CMF – cyclophosphamide, methotrexate and 5FU
E-CMF – epirubicin and CMF
FEC-T – FEC plus docetaxel (Taxotere ®).
It is able to offer a wide range of chemotherapy treatments, such as the different combinations have different effects.
The search is always conducted to improve the effectiveness of chemotherapy and reduce side effects and you may be asked to participate in research studies | Compare different forms of chemotherapy.
Benefits of chemotherapy
Cancer in women is unlikely to return, chemotherapy alone may reduce the risk of cancer returning (recurrence) with a small amount. In women where the chances that the cancer came back later, chemotherapy can significantly reduce the risk of relapse. Your doctor can let you know how chemotherapy is likely to make a difference in your case. They can also tell the possible side effects.
Side Effects
Chemotherapy drugs can cause unpleasant side effects, but these can usually well control with medication. Side effects occur depends on the drugs that you provided.
Everyone is different and responds to treatment with chemotherapy in a different way. Some people have very few side effects, while others will be many. Almost all the side effects are only short term and will gradually disappear after treatment is stopped.
Side effects occur with all chemotherapeutic drugs. They are more severe with higher doses and increase during treatment.
Common side effects
nausea and vomiting. Drugs such as ondansetron (Zofran) and aprepitant (EMEND) can help relieve these side effects.
diarrhea
Temporary hair loss
Weight Loss
fatigue
depression
Serious short-and long-term complications can also occur and may vary depending on the specific drugs. These may include:
anemia. The anemia induced by chemotherapy is usually treated with erythropoietin stimulating agents, which epoietin Alfa (Epogen, Procrit) and darberpetin alfa (Aranesp) includes. ESAs should not be used unless the patient’s hemoglobin drops below 10 g / dl. These drugs can cause serious health risks if used for a hemoglobin level of 12 g / dl or more. Physicians must follow strict guidelines when administering the dose of these drugs. Patients should discuss the risks and benefits of ESAs with their oncologists.
increased risk of infection, with severe reduction in white blood cells (neutropenia). The addition of a drug called granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (filgrastim and lenograstim) may help reduce the risk of serious infections.
damage to liver and kidneys.
Abnormal blood clotting (thrombocytopenia).
allergic reaction, particularly platinum-based drugs.
menstrual abnormalities and infertility. Early menopause occurs in approximately 30% of women receiving chemotherapy, especially in the more than 40. A drug is a hormone gonadotropin-releasing hormone analogue that puts women in pre puberty temporary state during chemotherapy may preserve fertility in some women. Women may also consider the cryopreservation of embryos – the collection of eggs, followed by in vitro fertilization and cryopreservation of embryos for later use. American Society of Clinical Oncology suggests that women undergoing treatment for cancer see a specialist in reproductive health to discuss all available options for preservation of fertility.
sexual dysfunction.
In rare cases, secondary cancers such as leukemia.
quarter to one third of women report problems in concentration, motor function and memory, which may in the long term.
heart problems. Trastuzumab (Herceptin) may increase the risk of heart failure, particularly in women with pre-existing risk factors. Cumulative doses of anthracyclines (doxorubicin, epirubicin) can also damage heart muscles over time and increase the risk of heart failure.
Taxanes could lead to a decrease in white blood cells and possible problems in the heart and central nervous system. Allergic reactions may occur more often than TAXOTERE Taxol. Taking a steroid before taxane administration can help prevent such reactions. Therapy with taxanes may also cause severe joint and muscle pain in some patients, relievable with corticosteroids.