Chemotherapy

The term chemotherapy refers to the use of anticancer drugs to destroy or disable cancer cells. Chemotherapy, often simply called “chemo,” is a treatment option for most types of breast cancer, but it is used differently depending on the stage of a woman’s disease. In women with early breast cancer, chemotherapy is sometimes used after surgery and radiation to lower the risk of the cancer recurring. This is called adjuvant chemotherapy. Chemotherapy may also be used before surgery in women with larger tumors, in a process called neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Chemotherapy can shrink a large tumor enough so that breast conserving surgery becomes possible, rather than a more radical procedure.

In women with advanced stages of breast cancer, chemotherapy is used to decrease the amount of cancer cells that have spread from the breast to other parts of the body in order to reduce cancer-related symptoms and prolong survival.

The side effects of chemotherapy depend mainly on the type and amount of medications administered. Although these drugs can be very effective in terms of destroying cancer cells, they can also harm normal, rapidly dividing cells such as those found in the lining of the mouth and hair follicles.

There are a variety of drugs and combinations of drugs used in chemotherapy. If you are a candidate for chemotherapy, be sure to discuss the drugs available to you, along with the advantages, disadvantages and side effects of each option.