Posted on 1 January, 2012
Chemotherapy is the treatment used for treating cancer by destroying the cancerous cells. It is also used for treating breast cancer. This treatment is taken either before surgery, after surgery or as a measure to stop the cancer spreading to other parts or reoccurrence of cancer. The treatment given to the breast cancer patient is based on several factors such as the overall health of the person and the stage of breast cancer. However, there are two types of breast cancer chemotherapy used for treating it. They are Adjuvant chemotherapy and Neoadjuvant therapy. Adjuvant chemotherapy: This type of chemotherapy is used for destroying the cancer and is a very primary form of treatment used for treating breast cancer. It is a very systematic method of treating cancer. This treatment is very useful and helps to increase survival rate of the patients affected with this cancer. There are some types of adjuvant chemotherapy also which use a combination of hormonal therapy, radiation therapy for treatment. Neoadjuvant chemotherapy: This is used for reducing the tumor and is usually given before primary treatment. Once the tumor is reduced using this therapy it is then surgically removed. There are some side effects which are faced by the individual undergoing this treatment. They are diarrhea, sore mouth, hair loss, feeling sick and sore eyes. These side effects are temporary and will be diminished after treatment. You can consult a doctor to get medications which would help you to get a relief from these side effects. There are some long term side effects to this treatment as well. They are gaining weight, early menopause, affect on the heart; reduced cognitive functions and difficulty in losing the weight. Some of the long term side effects of this treatment can be life threatening. However along with these side effects, you should also consider the fact that this treatment increases the survival rate of the patient and also the chances of reoccurrence of this cancer is reduced. |
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