Breast Cancer Treatment

Chemotherapy:

Chemotherapy refers to the use of medications to shrink or destroy cancerous cells. For the treatment of breast cancer it is generally used in:

• Early-stage invasive breast cancer (up to 2nd stage breast cancer) to destroy any cancerous cells that may have remained in the breast after the surgery and to minimize the risk of recurrence of such cancer.
• Advanced-stage breast cancer (3rd stage breast cancer and above) to try and damage as many cancer cells as possible.

In certain cases, the use of chemotherapy may be advised before the surgery to shrink cancer. This type of chemotherapy is referred to as “neoadjuvant chemotherapy”. Chemotherapy medicines are usually given in combinations called chemotherapy regimens. In early-stage breast cancer cases, these regimens minimize the chances of recurring cancer. In advanced-stage breast cancers, they shrink cancer. Results of chemotherapy usually vary from case to case.

The chemotherapy success rate in Breast Cancer:

Most people with stage 1, 2, or 3 breast cancer undergo surgery as part of their treatment. The graph below shows the percentages of females with breast cancer who undergo treatment involving chemotherapy:

What are the Side Effects of Breast Cancer Treatment?

The treatment of breast is associated with side effects that may be long-term in nature and may continue even after the treatment is over. The side effects of post-treatment/surgery may include the following:

• Headaches
• Fatigue
• Numbness or Pain
• Dental issues
• Musculoskeletal symptoms
• Bone loss and osteoporosis
• Lymphedema
• Secondary Cancers
• Heart problems
• Blood clots
• Cataracts
• Menopausal symptoms
• Absence of menstrual periods
• Infertility
• Sexual difficulties
• Memory loss
• Loss of cognitive functions

Some of these could be late side effects and may start appearing weeks, months or even years after completing the treatment. They can, however, be addressed by maintaining a healthy lifestyle after the treatment.

What should you expect after your Breast Cancer Treatment?

The success rate of breast cancer treatment depends on how well your body responds to the treatment and in what way you manage your lifestyle. Cancer rehabilitation helps about 60 to 95% of women who survive breast cancer. Once you are through with your treatment, the next thing you need to focus on is monitoring your condition to prevent the recurrence of cancer. You may have to attend follow-up sessions with your doctor regularly to make sure things are going as per expectations. During these sessions, your symptoms of breast cancer will be physically examined for early detection of a recurrence or any new type of cancer.

Breast Reconstruction Surgery After the Treatment:

Breast reconstruction surgery is done to reform or reshape the breasts after a mastectomy or a lumpectomy. This is an optional surgery suggested by the surgeons in which a breast implant or a tissue flap is used ti reshape the breasts. For detailed information, you can read the following article: Breast reconstruction surgery in India.

How can you prepare yourself for Breast Cancer Treatment?

Ok, so now that you understand what are the treatment options for breast cancer and what should you expect after it, you need to “prepare yourself” for the treatment. How do you do that?

• The first and foremost thing that you need to do is keep yourself well informed about breast cancer, this improves your quality of life as this can make the disease seem less mysterious and frightening. Information from your doctor and other credible sources can be very helpful in this respect.
• When a person is diagnosed with breast cancer it hurts their emotional state, so you need to prepare yourself mentally and emotionally. This can be done by being transparent with your family and friends about how you feel, and the problems you have been facing so they can help you cope with your problems and uplift you emotionally. And if you are a peer or a family member of the patient, you must support them at all times by listening to them patiently as they are emotionally compromised.
• You can avail services of a counsellor or attend group therapies consisting of people sharing their past experiences of how they dealt with breast cancer.
• Next, you need to write down your queries, problems, any new symptoms and physical changes, medications, past medical reports and other important things that will help you to clearly express yourself to the doctor.

You will have to explain your entire medical history to your doctor before starting your treatment. This includes any illnesses you may have, any allergies to medications, the medications/herbs/vitamins that you may be taking currently. In case you are on aspirin or any non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, you may be asked to stop taking them a week before your treatment begins.

To make sure there will be no complications either during or after the surgery, you may be asked to undergo a few tests such as chest x-ray, electrocardiogram, blood tests, urine test and maybe a CAT scan.

It must be noted that the stage 3 cancer survival rate and stage 4 breast cancer survival rate are lower than those of the beginning stages, so don’t hesitate, get treatment as early as possible.