Chemotherapy of breast cancer slideshare

Chemotherapy (chemo) uses anti-cancer drugs that may be given intravenously (injected into your vein) or by mouth. The drugs travel through the bloodstream to reach cancer cells in most parts of the body. Sometimes, if cancer spreads to the spinal fluid, which surrounds and cushions the brain and spinal cord, chemo may be given directly into in this area (called intrathecal chemotherapy). When is chemotherapy used for breast cancer? Not all women with breast cancer will need chemo, but there are several situations in which chemo may be recommended. After surgery (adjuvant chemotherapy) Adjuvant chemo might be given to try to kill any cancer cells that might have been left behind or have spread but can't be seen, even on Before surgery (neoadjuvant chemotherapy) Neoadjuvant chemo might be given to try to shrink the tumor so it can be removed with less extensive surgery. Because of this, neoadjuvant chemo is often used to treat cancers that are too big to be removed by surgery when first diagnosed, have many lymph nodes involved with cancer, or are inflammatory breast cancers. If after neoadjuvant chemo, cancer cells are still found when surgery is done (also called residual disease), you might be offered more chemotherapy (adjuvant chemotherapy)to reduce the chances of the cancer coming back (recurrence). Some other reasons you might get neoadjuvant chemo: • By giving chemo before the tumor is removed, doctors can see how the cancer responds to it. If the first set of chemo...

Chemotherapy is a cancer treatment. It involves taking medications that destroy or shrink cancer cells. If you have breast cancer, you may have chemotherapy as the only treatment. Or you may have chemotherapy before or after surgery. Side effects of chemotherapy may include nausea, fatigue and hair loss. Overview What is chemotherapy? Chemotherapy is a common You may receive only one medication as your chemotherapy treatment. More often, though, healthcare providers prescribe a combination of medicines. Your treatment will be tailored to your needs, your treatment stage and the form of cancer that’s affecting you. Why is chemotherapy used for breast cancer? Not everyone who has • Before surgery (neoadjuvant chemotherapy): You may have chemotherapy to shrink a tumor. This option could make it possible to have a less-extensive surgery. It may also allow healthcare providers to discover more about the biology of the cancer itself by how it responds to chemotherapy. • After surgery (adjuvant chemotherapy): Sometimes, cancerous cells remain in your body but don’t show up on imaging tests. Your healthcare provider may recommend chemotherapy after surgery to kill any remaining cancer cells. This treatment can also reduce the risk of the cancer from returning ( • For advanced cancer: If breast cancer has spread to other parts of your body ( • For IBC: Procedure Details What happens before chemotherapy for breast cancer? A few days before your chemotherapy treatment, you’ll have bl...

If you are diagnosed with breast cancer while pregnant, your treatment options will be more complicated because you will want to get the best treatment for your cancer while also protecting the baby. The type and timing of treatment will need to be planned ​carefully and coordinated between your cancer care team and your obstetrician. When treating a pregnant woman with breast cancer, the goal is the same as when treating a non-pregnant woman: to cure the cancer whenever possible, or to control it and keep it from spreading if it can’t be cured. But the extra concern of protecting a growing fetus may make treatment more complicated. Is it safe to have breast cancer treatment during pregnancy? If you are pregnant and have breast cancer, you might have hard choices to make, so get expert help and be sure you know all your options. Pregnant women can safely get treatment for breast cancer, although the types of treatment used and the timing of treatment might be affected by the pregnancy. If you are pregnant and have been diagnosed with breast cancer, your treatment recommendations will depend on: • The size of the tumor • Where the tumor is located • If the cancer has spread and if so, how far • How far along you are in the pregnancy • Your overall health • Your personal preferences It is generally safe to have surgery for breast cancer while you’re pregnant. Chemotherapy seems to be safe for the baby if given in the second or third trimester of pregnancy, but it isn’t safe ...

ON THIS PAGE: You will learn about the different types of treatments doctors use for people with breast cancer. Use the menu to see other pages. This section explains the types of treatments, also known as therapies, that are the standard of care for early-stage and locally advanced breast cancer. “Standard of care” means the best treatments known. When making treatment plan decisions, you are encouraged to discuss with your doctor whether clinical trials are an option. A clinical trial is a research study that tests a new approach to treatment. Doctors learn through clinical trials whether a new treatment is safe, effective, and possibly better than the standard treatment. Clinical trials can test a new drug and how often it should be given, a new combination of standard treatments, or new doses of standard drugs or other treatments. Some clinical trials also test giving less drug or radiation treatment or doing less extensive surgery than what is usually done as the standard of care. Clinical trials are an option for all stages of cancer. Your doctor can help you consider all your treatment options. Learn more about clinical trials in the How breast cancer is treated In cancer care, doctors specializing in different areas of cancer treatment—such as surgery, radiation oncology, and medical oncology—work together with radiologists and pathologists to create a patient’s overall treatment plan that combines different types of treatments. This is called a A treatment plan is...

Breast MRI During a breast MRI, you lie on your stomach on a padded scanning table. Your breasts fit into a hollow depression in the table, which contains coils that detect magnetic signals. The table slides into the large opening of the MRI machine. Tests and procedures used to diagnose breast cancer include: • Breast exam. Your doctor will check both of your breasts and lymph nodes in your armpit, feeling for any lumps or other abnormalities. • Mammogram. A mammogram is an X-ray of the breast. Mammograms are commonly used to screen for breast cancer. If an abnormality is detected on a screening mammogram, your doctor may recommend a diagnostic mammogram to further evaluate that abnormality. • Breast ultrasound. Ultrasound uses sound waves to produce images of structures deep within the body. Ultrasound may be used to determine whether a new breast lump is a solid mass or a fluid-filled cyst. • Removing a sample of breast cells for testing (biopsy). A biopsy is the only definitive way to make a diagnosis of breast cancer. During a biopsy, your doctor uses a specialized needle device guided by X-ray or another imaging test to extract a core of tissue from the suspicious area. Often, a small metal marker is left at the site within your breast so the area can be easily identified on future imaging tests. Biopsy samples are sent to a laboratory for analysis where experts determine whether the cells are cancerous. A biopsy sample is also analyzed to determine the type of cells...