Breast Cancer Chemo

08 Mar

Posted by admin as Breast Cancer

Cancer Studies > Breast Cancer > Breast Cancer Chemo

Chemotherapy (chemo) treatment with cancer-killing drugs are administered intravenously (by injection into a vein) or orally. The drugs travel through the bloodstream to reach cancer cells in most parts of the body. Chemo is given in cycles, with each period of treatment, 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 the minimal damage to healthy tissue. Women with breast cancer chemotherapy:

Before surgery to shrink the cancer. This is known as neo-adjuvant chemotherapy.
After the operation as the doctors think there is a risk of cancer recurrence. This is known as adjuvant chemotherapy.

When Chemotherapy Is Used?

There are several situations in which chemotherapy can be recommended.

Adjuvant chemotherapy: Systemic therapy given to patients with no evidence of cancer after surgery is called adjuvant therapy. Although surgery is used to view all of the cancer that can be removed, adjuvant therapy is used to kill any cancer cells left behind that can not be seen. Adjuvant therapy after breast-conserving surgery or mastectomy reduces the risk of breast cancer returning. Both chemotherapy and hormone therapy can be used as adjuvant treatments.
neoadjuvant chemotherapy, chemotherapy given before surgery is called neoadjuvant therapy. Often the same neoadjuvant chemo therapy used as adjuvant therapy used (it is only granted for the operation rather than after). In terms of survival, there is no difference between giving chemo before or after surgery. The big advantage of neoadjuvant chemotherapy is that it can shrink large cancers so they’re 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, your doctor may try different chemotherapy drugs.
Chemotherapy for advanced breast cancer: Chemotherapy can also be used as the main treatment for women who already have cancer outside the breast and armpit area distributed at the time the diagnosis is made, or if it spreads after initial treatments. The duration of treatment depends on whether the cancer is shrinking, how much it shrinks, and how a woman tolerates treatment.

How It Is Given

Chemotherapy drugs are usually given to you as an outpatient, either by injection into a vein (intravenously) or as tablets. Chemotherapy in the vein as a session of treatment, usually over a few hours. This is followed by a rest period of a few weeks, allowing your body to recover from any adverse treatment. A full course of chemotherapy is likely to take 4-6 months.

The Drugs Used

There are many different chemotherapy drugs used to treat breast cancer, and they are often used in combination (called chemotherapy).

The most common chemotherapy drugs are:

cyclophosphamide
epirubicin
fluorouracil (5FU) (5FU)
methotrexate
paclitaxel (Taxol) (Taxol)
doxorubicin (Adriamycin ®) (Adriamycin ®)
docetaxel (Taxotere ®). (Taxotere ®).

Other medicines can 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 ®).

You can offer a choice of chemotherapy treatments, such as the different combinations have different effects.

Research is always conducted to improve the effectiveness of chemotherapy while reducing side effects and you may be asked to participate in research trials | compare different forms of chemotherapy.

Benefits of chemotherapy

Cancer in women is unlikely to come back, chemotherapy alone may reduce the likelihood of cancer returning (recurrence) by a small amount. In women whose chances that the cancer has returned later, chemotherapy can significantly reduce the risk of recurrence. Your doctor can let you know how likely chemotherapy is to make a difference in your case. They can also tell you about the possible side effects.

Side Effects

Chemotherapy drugs can cause unpleasant side effects, but these can usually well controlled with medication. The side effects you experience will depend on the medications that you provided.

Everyone is different and will respond to chemotherapy treatment in a different way. Some people have very few side effects, while others will have many. Almost all side effects are only short term and will gradually disappear once 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. Chemotherapy induced anemia is usually treated with erythropoiesis-stimulating agents, which epoietin alfa (Epogen, Procrit) and darberpetin alfa (Aranesp) include. Erythropoiesis-stimulating drugs should not be used unless the patient’s hemoglobin falls below 10 g / dl. These drugs may pose serious health risks when used for a hemoglobin level of 12 g / dl or more. Physicians must follow strict dosing guidelines when administering these drugs. Patients should discuss the risks and benefits of erythropoiesis-stimulating drugs with their oncologists.
Increased risk for 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.
Liver and kidney damage.
Abnormal blood clotting (thrombocytopenia).
Allergic reaction, particularly platinum-based drugs.
Menstrual abnormalities and infertility. Premature menopause occurs in approximately 30% of women receiving chemotherapy, especially in the more than 40. A medication is a gonadotropin hormone-releasing hormone analogue that puts women in a temporary pre-pubescent state during chemotherapy may preserve fertility in some women. Women may also want to consider embryo cryopreservation – the harvesting of eggs, followed by in vitro fertilization and freezing of embryos for later use. The American Society of Clinical Oncology recommends that women being treated for cancer see a reproductive specialist at all available to discuss fertility preservation options.
Sexual dysfunction.
In rare cases, secondary cancers such as leukemia.
One 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 can occur, more often than Taxol taxotere. Taking a steroid before taxane administration can help prevent such reactions. Taxane therapy may also cause severe joint and muscle pain in some patients, relievable with corticosteroids.

breast cancer chemo, breast cancer chemo treatment, breast cancer info, breast cancer information, breast cancer treatment, breast cancer treatment options, breast cancer treatments, chemo for breast cancer, chemo treatments, chemotherapy side effects, chemotherapy treatments, treatments for breast cancer

Breast Cancer Chemo