Chemotherapy is used after surgery to remove the breast cancer to get rid of any cancer cells that may be left behind and to reduce the risk of the cancer coming back. In some cases, chemotherapy may be used before surgery to shrink the tumor so less tissue needs to be removed. Each person's treatment plan will be different, but there are some general guidelines about who would benefit from chemotherapy:. Metastatic disease is breast cancer that has spread beyond the breast area and nearby lymph nodes to other parts of the body.
Metastatic cancer is considered stage IV. Chemotherapy is used to treat advanced-stage breast cancer by destroying or damaging the cancer cells as much as possible. Because chemotherapy medicines affect the entire body, chemotherapy is commonly used to treat advanced-stage breast cancer. Research has shown that newer chemotherapy medicines, such as:. Other chemotherapies used in metastatic breast cancer include Gemzar chemical name: gemcitabine , Xeloda chemical name: capecitabine , Navelbine chemical name: vinorelbine , and Ixempra chemical name: ixabepilone.
Each person's treatment plan will be different, but there are some general guidelines that doctors follow when using chemotherapy to treat advanced-stage breast cancer:. Either way, this information will help you understand what your choices are so that you can talk to your doctor about them.
This information is for those who are deciding about chemotherapy for early-stage breast cancer. It is not about surgery or hormone therapy. Breast cancer occurs when abnormal cells grow out of control in one or both breasts. These cells can invade nearby tissues and form a mass, called a malignant tumor. The cancer cells can spread metastasize to the lymph nodes and other parts of the body.
The first treatment for early-stage breast cancer usually includes surgery and sometimes radiation. Your doctor may also talk to you about added treatment, such as chemotherapy "chemo" and hormone therapy , that may help keep cancer from coming back. It isn't possible for all women to know for sure who will benefit from added treatment.
Gene tests, such as the Oncotype DX, may be done on the cancerous tissue that was removed to look for tumor markers. These tests can give your doctor important information about whether chemotherapy will help you. The type of added treatment you have depends on the stage and classification of your breast cancer:. Different chemotherapy medicines tend to cause different side effects.
Many women do not have problems with these side effects, while other women are bothered a lot. There are other medicines you can take to treat the side effects of chemo.
Talk to your doctor about the type of chemotherapy medicine that he or she is planning to give you. Ask about any side effects that the chemo may cause. Your doctor may use a genetic test to find your risk for having your cancer come back. This information can help you and your doctor decide about chemotherapy. These stories are based on information gathered from health professionals and consumers. They may be helpful as you make important health decisions. I found out about the breast cancer earlier this year.
I don't have a family history of it or any of the risk factors that you read about. I chose to have a lumpectomy. My doctor had some gene tests done on the tissue that was removed during my surgery. The tests showed that the cancer was not very aggressive and that chemotherapy would not be helpful for me.
So instead I'm taking letrozole every day. I got breast cancer 2 years ago. What a surprise! I don't have any family history that I know of , and I don't have the other risk factors that my doctor talked to me about.
Because of my age and the type of breast cancer I had, my doctor did some tests. It turned out that I was at a higher risk for having the cancer come back. So, I had chemo. I'm doing fine so far. And I think this was the right decision for me. I was diagnosed with breast cancer just last year.
The breast cancer was small, and I didn't have any cancer in the lymph nodes. But my doctor did a gene test and said my risk was high enough that I needed to decide whether I wanted to have chemo. I decided to go ahead and have it. And even though that was harder than I thought, I'm still glad I made that choice.
It was the right one for me. Your personal feelings are just as important as the medical facts. Think about what matters most to you in this decision, and show how you feel about the following statements. I would rather wait and see if the cancer comes back before I have more treatment.
I know there's no way to know for sure whether chemo would keep the cancer from coming back. I would be comfortable having frequent follow-ups, without the added treatment. Now that you've thought about the facts and your feelings, you may have a general idea of where you stand on this decision.
Show which way you are leaning right now. How sure do you feel right now about your decision? Here's a record of your answers. You can use it to talk with your doctor or loved ones about your decision. The breast cancer was small, and I did not have any cancer in my lymph nodes. I stopped taking my menopause hormones, had surgery and radiation, and have been taking tamoxifen ever since.
I see my doctor a couple of times a year and so far have been okay. I'm going to ask my doctor if I'm a good candidate for switching to something like Arimidex. I hear that it's a smart choice for some women. I would have strong feelings of failure if the breast cancer returned. Should every woman with early-stage breast cancer have chemotherapy? Are you clear about which benefits and side effects matter most to you? Do you have enough support and advice from others to make a choice?
Author: Healthwise Staff. This information does not replace the advice of a doctor. It can make the radiotherapy more effective, but can also increase side effects. The chemotherapy drugs you have depend on where in your body the cancer started your type of cancer. This is because different chemotherapy drugs work on different types of cancer.
So the drugs you need for a cancer that started in the breast and has spread to the lung might be different to the drugs you would have for a cancer that started in the lung. But some types of cancer don't tend to respond well to chemotherapy. In that case, your doctor isn't likely to suggest it as a treatment for you. Chemotherapy can be a difficult treatment to have, and you need to be well enough to have it.
Some people worry they may be too old to have chemotherapy. No one is automatically too old. But older people may have other health issues that make them more likely to get severe or long term side effects.
Some treatments can put a strain on organs such as the heart. Doctors make sure you are fit enough by checking your heart, lungs, kidneys and liver before starting treatment. They look at the benefits and risks of any treatment when deciding your treatment plan, and will discuss this with you. People usually have chemotherapy either at home, in hospital or at a day clinic. There are different ways of having chemotherapy drugs. Your doctor will talk about the most suitable option for you.
Doctors plan a course of chemotherapy treatment for each individual person. The treatment plan might change from time to time.
Chemotherapy drugs cause side effects. Find out more about the general side effects of chemotherapy drugs.
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