Chemotherapy
One of the most popular breast cancer treatment options is chemotherapy. But a lot of patients have reservations about this treatment because of the side effects which come with it.
Chemotherapy in general, is the utilization of cytotoxic or anti-cancer drugs to kill cancer cells, as well as lymphoma and leukemia. Chemotherapy drugs number to more than 50. Some may be administered to the patient as they are, although there are certain drugs need to be combined with others. Chemotherapy treatment varies according to factors such as: type of the patient’s cancer, its location in the body, appearance and extent of the cancer in the body.
Chemotherapy for breast cancer is the treatment for the disease which makes use of chemical agents to destroy the cancer’s ability to grow and exist. Medical oncologists, or the doctors whose specialization is in the treatment of cancer, oversee breast cancer chemotherapy. This treatment option can be introduced into the body orally or via an IV. The various breast cancer chemotherapy drugs are not capable of differentiating the normal cells from the cancer cells. They merely work to destroy all the cells which are growing and dividing aggressively. Cancer cells are known to do this often than normal cells do. Thus, they are the targets of the chemotherapy drugs. And since cancer cells are poor at self-repairing, they are most likely destroyed after the treatment.
Patients with breast cancer undergo chemotherapy for various reasons. Some need to have chemotherapy to shrink the size of tumor before surgery -- a process known medically as neoadjuvant therapy. Others are advised to undergo breast cancer chemotherapy as complementary treatment of surgery to prevent the caner from spreading or recurring – process otherwise referred to as adjuvant therapy. And some patients necessitate chemotherapy as treatment for their breast cancer that has invaded other parts of the body, or the cancer that has recurred.
The side effects that come with breast cancer chemotherapy treatment are dependent on several elements which include: type of chemotherapy drugs used; drug dose administered; and the duration of treatment. Also, not all patients with the same treatment schemes experience the same side effects. Some women may go through fewer side effects than others.
The most common temporary side effects of breast chemotherapy therapy are: nausea and/or vomiting, fatigue, loss of hair, mouth sores, and loss of appetite. There may be menstrual cycle changes as well which can either be temporary or permanent as the treatment can result in the destruction of blood-producing cells. Thus, some patients are likely to have low blood cell count which can raise the likelihood of infection, bruising or bleeding from minor injuries, and fatigue.
Science has now provided effective remedies for most of those temporary side effects of breast cancer chemotherapy. There are now numerous drugs in the market which serve to lessen nausea and vomiting. Drugs known as “growth factors” are meant to assist in the bone marrow recovery of the patients after treatment, and are believed to treat low blood count issues.
Some breast cancer chemotherapy drugs may cause permanent complications such as premature menopause and infertility. However, chemotherapy should not be depended on as something that will prevent pregnancy. Interference with treatment and birth defects may occur if a woman gets pregnant in the course of her chemotherapy treatment.
“Chemo brain” is another side effect of chemotherapy. Although women who have undergone this treatment will experience a minor reduction in their mental functioning, it does not mean that they cannot carry on with their usual intellectual tasks. Moreover, this side effect often goes away after 1 or 2 years.
Breast cancer patients may have to hurdle several side effects when undergoing chemotherapy. But if the treatment will get rid of the real problem, these side effects are definitely worth enduring after all.