Contents:
- Medical Video: Breast Cancer Treatment
- Postoperative (adjuvant chemotherapy)
- Preoperative (neojuvan chemotherapy)
- For advanced cancer
Medical Video: Breast Cancer Treatment
Chemotherapy or commonly called chemo is used to treat early-stage breast cancer to get rid of cancer cells that may be left behind after surgery. Chemo is also used to reduce the risk of recurrence of cancer and the development of cancer cells to a more advanced stage. Chemo will destroy as many cancer cells as can be found. Usually, chemo procedures are carried out before surgery.
There are a number of possibilities that will underlie the doctor's recommendations for your chemotherapy.
Postoperative (adjuvant chemotherapy)
Surgery is used to remove all visible cancer cells, but adjuvant therapy is used to get rid of cancer cells that may still be present in the body, left behind or spread but not seen by the scanning test. These cancer cells can form new tumors in other places in the body. The risk of breast cancer for relapse can be overcome by adjuvant therapy after breast reconstruction surgery or mastectomy. Radiation therapy, chemo, target, and hormones can still be used as adjuvant therapy. Chemo for patients with early stage breast cancer is usually given between the time span after breast surgery and before radiation therapy.
Preoperative (neojuvan chemotherapy)
Neojuvan therapy is similar to chemo adjuvant, but you will get therapy before starting surgery. Chemo is sometimes used before surgery. In women who have a malignant tumor and need a mastectomy, chemo neojuvant will shrink the size of the tumor so that the lumpectomy procedure is possible as an alternative. In terms of survival rates and the risk of recurrence of cancer, there was no difference between chemo before or after surgery. However, neoajuvan chemo has two advantages.
First, the size of the tumor that is shrinking due to neojuvanation will make it easier for the procedure to remove the tumor, so you don't need to have a major operation. This is the reason why neoajuvan is more commonly used to treat cancers that are already large to be removed at diagnosis (called locally advanced). Doctors can also better examine how the cancer reacts by applying chemo before surgery to remove the tumor. If the first stage of treatment does not succeed in shrinking the tumor, the doctor will be able to find out what therapy and medication is needed.
For advanced cancer
In some cases where breast cancer cells have spread to the forearm at diagnosis or after the first therapy, chemo can also be used to kill cancer cells that have spread to other parts of the body. The duration of the treatment period will be based on whether the cancer shrinks, how much it shrinks, and how well you tolerate therapy. Chemo can reduce cancer-related symptoms and prolong survival.
Your doctor can decide when you are required to take chemotherapy based on examining your condition, the size of the tumor you are suffering from, and your tolerance for other factors. Be sure to always follow the doctor's advice and consult if you have concerns.
