Chemotherapy for Breast Cancer
Why use chemotherapy for breast cancer?
Chemotherapy for breast cancer makes use of cytotoxic medications, which target rapidly growing cancer cells, destroying them and preventing them from multiplying.
When is chemotherapy for breast cancer necessary?
Chemotherapy for breast cancer is usually given after surgery to destroy any cancerous cells that can’t be removed during an operation. Chemotherapy is recommended on a case by case basis, depending on whether your oncologist believes there is a risk that cancer cells have spread to parts of your body other than your breast.
In some cases, chemotherapy for breast cancer will be recommended to reduce the size of a tumour before surgery. It may also be used to treat recurring breast cancer that is detected early, without need for surgery.
How is chemotherapy for breast cancer given?
There are a wide variety of cytotoxic medications available, and the medicines that you are given will be tailored to your particular condition. It is normal for a combination of three types of chemotherapy medication to be administered together.
Chemotherapy medications are usually given intravenously for breast cancer. Medicines are injected directly into a vein over a period of up to three hours, although this can be even longer in some cases. Some patients have anti-sickness medications administered intravenously at the same time as their chemotherapy medications.
In some cases it is possible for chemotherapy to be administered at home using tablets or creams, either on their own or in combination with intravenous medication.
There is usually a three to four week break between treatment sessions to allow the body time to recover, and chemotherapy for breast cancer is usually given over four to eight months.
What are the side effects of chemotherapy for breast cancer?
Chemotherapy targets cells that multiply rapidly, which is a characteristic of cancer cells. However, there are many healthy cells in the body that grow quickly including red and white blood cells and hair follicles, and chemotherapy for breast cancer is unable to distinguish between these and cancer cells. When healthy cells are destroyed by chemotherapy, you can experience various side effects. These depend on the types of cytotoxic medications you are given and the period over which you receive treatment.
Here are some of the common side effects of chemotherapy for breast cancer:
Sickness and nausea
Hair loss
Digestive problems such as constipation or diarrhoea
Mouth sores
Reduction in appetite
Infection caused by lack of white blood cells called leucopoenia
Anaemia caused by lack of red blood cells
How quickly will I recover from chemotherapy?
For breast cancer, chemotherapy is usually given over a period of four to eight months. After this time the healthy rapidly growing cells in your body that have been affected by the chemotherapy will repair themselves relatively quickly. Your side effects should disappear and your hair will grow back, although it may look and feel slightly different to before the treatment.
Is it true that chemotherapy for breast cancer can make me infertile?
Chemotherapy for breast cancer often stops production of oestrogen in the ovaries, but in pre-menopausal women this usually resumes after treatment stops. In a small number of women, oestrogen production doesn’t resume after chemotherapy and they will enter early menopause, which means that they will be unable to conceive. This is more likely in women over forty who are closer to the menopause.
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