Chemotherapy Page 1
This section describes chemotherapy and explains possible side effects. We hope that it will help you to talk about any concerns you might have with your cancer specialist or chemotherapy nurse and enable you to take part in your treatment plan. You will also be given relevant information about your particular treatment by the team treating you at the hospital or unit.
What is Chemotherapy?
Chemotherapy is a treatment using drugs that cure or control cancer. These drugs can be used on their own or with each other. This treatment may be given before or after surgery. The drugs used in chemotherapy travel through the blood stream to almost every part of the body. They are often given in cycles such as once every three weeks with a rest period between treatments.
Chemotherapy may be given directly into a vein as an injection or through
an intravenous infusion. It may also be given in tablet form. If your treatment
is given by intravenous infusion you may need to stay overnight in hospital.
However, there are some treatments that may be given in day-care. Sometimes,
two or three courses of chemotherapy are given before surgery. This happens
when the tumour is large. The chemotherapy may shrink the tumour and make the
operation easier and more effective. Once you have recovered from surgery
you may need further chemotherapy.
In some cases, there may be a risk that some cancer cells have been left behind.
The cancer may have released cells into the bloodstream or the lymphatic system.
These cells can sometimes cause secondary cancers called metastases in other
parts of the body.
If the cancer has spread and/or surgery is not possible for other reasons chemotherapy is the main treatment used. Even if the cancer comes back after surgery or a course of chemotherapy, it is important to know that it can still be treated. Your doctor will consider your general health and where the cancer has spread. He or she will also take into account the kind of drugs you have had in the past.
There are several chemotherapy drugs used to treat breast cancer. Your doctor or breast care nurse will discuss your treatment with you. A number of chemotherapy drugs are often used together and are given every 3-4 weeks for about 6 months. The rest period between treatments allows the body time to recover from the side effects of treatment.
There are new drugs and different ways of treating breast cancer being developed all the time. Herceptin is a new drug used to treat breast cancer. It belongs to a new type of treatment using monoclonal antibodies. In order to receive this treatment, your breast cancer cells must contain a certain gene called Her2. There are two ways of testing your cells- your doctor or breast care nurse can discuss these with you. You will not need any further surgery as the tissue that was removed during surgery can be tested. Your test results will come back as positive or negative. If you are positive for Her2, Herceptin may be used in your treatment. At this time, Herceptin is only used as an adjuvant treatment in the setting of a clinical trial. For more information on clinical trials see our booklet Understanding Cancer of the Breast.
Side effects of treatment
The side effects of chemotherapy vary from person to person and depend on the drugs used. These unwanted side effects happen because while the chemotherapy is working on the cancer cells it can have an effect on the normal cells too. In most cases the side effects go away when the treatment ends or soon after. Your doctor or nurse can give you something to stop most of them or make them easier to cope with.
