Chemotherapy treatment for breast cancer utilizes medicines to attack and kill cancerous cells. These medications are typically given intravenously with a needle or administered orally as tablets.
Besides that, chemotherapy is often used in conjunction with other therapies for breast cancer, including surgeries, hormone therapy, or radiation. It may help individuals with cancer live much longer and with a better standard of living by increasing the chances of a cure, lowering the risk of the disease recurrence, alleviating cancer symptoms, and helping them stay healthy.
Chemotherapy could also be used to manage breast cancer if it has recurred or progressed, allowing an individual to live longer. It may also assist in alleviating cancer-related discomfort.
However, chemotherapy has potential side effects, some of which are transitory and minor, and others are more severe or chronic. Your doctor can assist you in determining whether or not chemotherapy is appropriate for you.
Why Is Chemotherapy Performed?
Chemotherapy for breast cancer is used in the following circumstances:
Chemotherapy After Breast Cancer Surgery
Your doctor may prescribe chemotherapy after surgery to eliminate any undiagnosed cancerous cells and lower your chance of the disease returning. Adjuvant chemotherapy is the term for this kind of treatment.
Although there is no sign of cancer upon surgery, your doctor may prescribe adjuvant chemotherapy if you have a high chance of the disease returning or spreading to other areas of your body.
Chemotherapy Before Breast Cancer Surgery
Chemotherapy before surgery, often known as neoadjuvant treatment, is used to reduce bigger tumors. This will:
- Let the doctor fully eliminate cancer
- The doctor won’t remove the entire breast but just the cancerous part
- Reduce the extent of illness in lymph nodes, making lymph node surgery less invasive
- Reduce the chances of cancer recurrence
- Assist your doctor in determining how effectively your cancer reacts to chemotherapy, which will aid in determining your prognosis and the optimal chemotherapy medication to use
The following conditions are often treated with neoadjuvant therapy:
- Cancers that have spread to the lymph nodes
- HER2-positive breast cancer
- Inflammatory breast cancer
- Triple-negative breast cancer
- High-grade breast cancers
- Big breast cancers
How Will You Prepare For Chemotherapy Treatment For Breast Cancer?
Your doctor examines the following factors when determining if chemotherapy is appropriate for you:
- The status of the lymph node
- Your cancer grade and size
- Your previous therapy
- Your genetic profile
- Your age
- Your HER2 status
- Your overall health
Chemotherapy for aggressive breast cancer aims to improve health and quality of life rather than curing the illness.
