What is chemotherapy?
Chemotherapy is the use of chemicals or drugs to damage or kill cancer cells or cause the cancer cells to activate an internal process that causes cell death (apoptosis). Chemotherapy has the advantage over surgery and radiation therapy of circulating throughout the body to wherever cancer cells may be. This can also be a disadvantage if there is not adequate blood supply to get the drugs to the cancer cells. Since we know that high-grade tumors invade microscopically into the brain beyond the surgical margin in virtually every case, we believe that effective chemotherapy must be a part of any strategy that seeks to cure this disease. We therefore offer chemotherapy to all patients whom we believe can benefit from it.
Chemotherapy is the use of anti-cancer drugs to treat cancer. If it is given after surgery it is called adjuvant chemotherapy or before surgery, neoadjuvant. It is given to reduce the risk of the cancer returning. There are many different drugs used today. Some drugs work better in combination than alone, so your doctor may give you more than one to take. Some drugs are given by mouth and some IM or IV. Chemotherapy is usually offered in some form to almost all ladies with breast cancer. Chemotherapy usually starts within 4-6 weeks after surgery and is commonly given on a 21 or 28 day cycle. The length will vary, but typically lasts form 4 to 6 months. Some common side effects are nausea and vomiting (controlled with meds), hair loss (grows back after Rx concludes), early menopause (maybe permanent), and fatigue (helped with a good diet and exercise).Chemotherapy is the reason breast cancer 5 year survival has made such positive strides in recent years.
Chemotherapy is treatment with anticancer drugs and is normally administered intravenously (through the vein) or orally in the form of pills or liquid. Chemotherapy may be used alone or in conjunction with lumpectomy or mastectomy to treat breast cancer patients. Chemotherapy is a systemic form of treatment; it flows through the bloodstream, affecting the entire body. Its purpose is to interfere with the DNA synthesis of cancer cells. The appropriate combination of drugs used during chemotherapy will be determined by the patient’s cancer treatment team, based on the individual medical situation and cancer tumor characteristics.
• Chemotherapy is a treatment that uses drugs designed to destroy or prevent further growth of cancer cells. Chemotherapy is a systemic treatment, meaning that the drugs flow through the bloodstream to nearly every part of the body. • Many times, two or more chemotherapy drugs are used together in combination therapy to enhance their effectiveness. Chemotherapy can be used in conjunction with surgery or radiation treatment. Chemotherapy given before surgery and/or radiation is called neoadjuvant therapy. Chemotherapy given with radiation or after surgery is known as adjuvant therapy. • Chemotherapy can be used to stop cancer from spreading, slow the growth of cancer, relieve symptoms that are caused by cancer and reduce the risk of cancer returning.
