Breast cancer with chemotherapy – Is it safe and effective?

Posted by Priya Sharma on July 3rd, 2021

Cancer is known as the most frequent type of cancer in women around the globe and accounts for 14% of cancers in Indian women. Various researches show the disease usually women are considered at risk to develop breast cancer at their thirties till fifties and occurs in early thirties till fifties in a woman and the incidence risk increases till its peak by the time women reach 50-65 years of age. However, various risk factors are responsible for the disease. Still, the good thing is the type of cancer that is a highly treatable disease, and chances of survival are higher if it’s detected in time with various treatment options.

The treatment for breast cancer disease depends on the stage and spread of cancer. A patient who is diagnosed with breast cancer often gets more than one kind of treatment. Early-stage breast cancer treatment includes a surgery method as the first step of the treatment, followed by hormone, radiation, or chemotherapy. Chemotherapy treatment uses a powerful drug to kill quickly growing cells all across the body. This process helps kill or destroy cancer cells, but there are higher chances that some healthy cells may get destroyed in the process.

Effectiveness of chemotherapy for breast cancer – To treat patients with chemotherapy, doctors might find the ideal cellular phases in which to administer the patient’s treatment. Chemotherapy may be used as the first line of treatment for more aggressive cancers because cancer cells proliferate or divide quickly during this stage. It does the following 

• Stop breast cancer cells or tumors from spreading further to other parts of the body.

• Cancer’s progression is slowed down

• Cancer cells that have spread to other places of your body must be eliminated (metastatic cancer)

• Reduce the amount of discomfort and other issues caused by your tumor.

• Completely cure your cancer.

Chemotherapy (chemo) for breast cancer involves administering anti-cancer medications intravenously (into a vein) or orally. The Chemo drugs pass through the circulation and reach cancer cells throughout the body. Chemotherapy may be injected directly into the spinal fluid surrounding the brain and spinal cord on rare occasions. To find the best cancer hospital in Chennai for chemotherapy treatment, browse Credihealth, as the online healthcare platform lists various leading oncology hospitals.

Ways to Track the success of the treatment - Your doctor will need to monitor your progress during your treatment to determine how successful chemotherapy treatment outcomes are. If the chemotherapy isn’t benefiting, your doctor can change or use other treatment methods for better results. Cancer doctors may utilize a variety of procedures, depending on the stage and the spread of breast cancer -

Physical exams – The test helps examine apparent tumors or lymph nodes that have shrunk in size.

Blood tests, including a complete blood count (CBC) – The doctor can measure red and white blood cells, platelets, and more after 1 or 2 chemotherapy sessions to measure outcomes.

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and computed tomography (CT) scans – The particular test helps to measure cancer tumors to see if they’ve decreased, grown, or spread.

Tumor marker (biomarker) tests – The following test involves using blood, tissue, or urine samples that are tested further to determine the number of cancer cells present.

An assessment is necessary before any chemotherapy session to ensure patient safety, e.g., if a patient’s CBC count is low, the chemotherapy session is rescheduled for another day.

Do’s that help in better chemotherapy results – After the chemotherapy treatment, you must look for yourself and take steps to manage your chemo side effects. It would be best to discuss all the do’s and don’ts with the doctor, especially the women who breastfeed or get pregnant after the treatment. Below items, an individual should be precautious –

• For side effects, take the medications that your doctor prescribes.

• Avoid contact with somebody who has a cold or infection because chemo makes it difficult for your body to fight infections.

• To help the medicine travel through your body, drink plenty of water for the first 8 hours.

• Handle any bodily fluids or trash that may contain chemo residue. This handling usually entails flushing the toilet twice.

Managing side effects after chemotherapy is a must. However, most side effects are transient and disappear as treatment is completed. A patient can choose a quality chemotherapy center to avoid any serious health outcomes after the chemo treatment. You can book a second option on chemotherapy with a cancer hospital in Chennai through Credihealth.

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