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| Home »Treatment of Breast Cancer » Chemotherapy and Hormone Therapy |
Chemotherapy and Hormone Therapy |
Chemotherapy or chemo is used in the treatment of almost all the types of cancers using various medicines in the form of chemicals. These medicines are also known as anti-cancer drugs, chemo drugs, anti-neoplastic drugs, biotherapy or hormones. Most of these drugs are used in the treatment of breast cancer. Hormone therapy along with chemotherapy is used in the treatment of breast cancer. Evidences show that chemotherapy and hormone therapy together are proving to be more effective for patients suffering from early breast cancer.
Chemotherapy and hormone therapy both improves the rate of survival in a patient with breast cancer but hormonal drugs are having greater benefit on treating breast cancer. The breast cancer cells feed on the female estrogen hormone. So treatment of breast cancer is based on blocking or withdrawing the estrogen to the estrogen receptor of the breast cancer cells.
The most common chemotherapy drugs used in the treatment of breast cancer are
- Doxorubicin (Adriamycin)
- Cyclophosphamide (Cytoxan)
- Docetaxel (Taxotere)
- Fluorouracil (5-FU)
- Epirubicin (Ellence)
- Paclitaxel (Taxol)
- Gemcitabine (Gemzar)
- Methotrexate
- Vinorelbine (Navelbine)
Usually these drugs are given in combination with hormonal drugs to stop the growth or division of the cancer cells in the breast. However the drugs might have adverse effect on the normal and healthy cells. The chemo drugs stops cell division in the body in areas like bone marrow hair follicles and inner lining of mouth, throat, intestine and rectum.
The chemotherapy drugs cannot make a distinction between the cancer cells and the healthy cells and hence can destroy both while working against cells. However the cancer cells die but fortunately enough the healthy cells revive once more. The healthy cells affected by the chemotherapy drugs experience side effects but with proper medications and treatments such side effects can be lessened or prevented.
The chemotherapy drugs are given through the veins or orally. In case of breast cancer the chemo drugs are given before neoadjuvant therapy or after adjuvant therapy or surgery. Prior to the surgery the drugs help to shrink the breasts and thus make surgery easier. After the surgery of breast cancer if there are chances of metastasis that is if cancer cells are found in other parts of the body chemotherapy drugs are administered. Chemotherapy is given in periods of treatments followed by rests where the cancer cells die and do not have enough time to multiply and the normal cells recover. The duration of the treatment depends on the type of cancer and its stage.
The chemotherapy and hormone therapy are done side by side in case of treating breast cancer. The hormone drugs given to a breast cancer patient are
- Tamoxifen (Nolvadex)
- Exemestane (Aromasin)
- Letrozole (Femara)
- Toremifene (Fareston)
- Anastrozole (Arimidex)
- Megestrol acetate (Megace)
- Fulvestrant (Faslodex)
The hormone therapy has proved very effective for breast cancer. The hormonal drugs stop the production of estrogen and progesterone hormone in the female body and which stimulate the growth of breast cancer. Thus especially in postmenopausal women the hormonal drugs and chemotherapy are given together to prevent breast cancer from growing. In pre-menopausal women chemotherapy and hormone therapy is recommended after surgery.
For more information on Treatment of Breast Cancer visit www.breastcancerxl.com
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