Breast cancer detection is common, striking over 41000 women and about 300 men each year. In fact in US, breast cancer has been termed as the most popular form of cancer cause for death among women suffering form cancer, especially those aged in the range of 45-55. The condition may be diagnosed in case of a change in the breast tissue consistency, or because of any form of abnormality in the mammogram and lump. In UK, national screening programs for breast cancer are held for all women aged in the range of 50-69, where they are offered mammograms, to detect any possible cancer in its earliest stage.

Researches suggest that hormonal and genetic factors are prime reasons for this disease. A system termed as the staging system, helps to know the extent of the prevalence of any particular type of cancer in the body. The extent or the type thus determined helps to know the decisions to be taken for the procedure of treatment.

Cancer process:

In most women, it first develops as a painless lump, since pain is rarely associated with its symptoms. This is followed by other symptoms like a small variation in the size and shape of the breast, appearance of swelling or a lump in the area of the armpit, breast tissue thickening, rashes causing skin dimpling and affecting the nipples. Cancer develops in the cells that build up tissues together that ultimately form an organ in the body. Now, it is a natural process for the body to have the cells grow and multiply into more cells. This growth runs parallel to the process of natural death of the cells that maintains a balance in the body. However as this balance gets disturbed, new tissues start being formed that is actually not required. These are the tissues that are termed as tumor.

Benign or malignant forms of these tumors

Benign tumors: These are tissues that are not associated with cancer and are rarely a threat to life. They can be easily removed with no threat of their growing back. Here the cells do not try invading their surrounding tissues or spread to other body parts.

Malignant tumors: These are more dangerous and could be life threatening too. The cells can spread here, causing damage to the other surrounding body organs and tissues. Though they can be removed, they often show a tendency to grow back again. Here the cells can spread around by breaking away from the original tumor, often affecting the bloodstream or the patient’s lymphatic system. They may form new tumors too after invading and damaging the other organs of the body (process termed as metastasis). It is therefore not peculiar to see breast cancer being spread to the brain, bones, liver or lungs.

Chemotherapy treatment: Chemotherapy is what one may call a form of breast cancer surgery, which is more like a treatment process; where anticancer drugs help destroy the cancer cells. The medicine used for the breast cancer chemotherapy is a combination of a number of breast cancer chemotherapy drugs. It may be taken in a way of pill or vein injection. Though sometimes the patient has to stay back at the hospital for the treatment, others are treated at the office of the doctor, the hospital’s outpatient part, or the home itself.

Apart from chemotherapy, other treatment options are there too, like surgery, biological therapy, radiation therapy and hormone therapy. The choice and the method of the treatment, varies according to the severity of the disease. The patient should find out how the treatment would affect their activities and their appearance.

Two types of breast cancer chemotherapy treatments

Local therapy: This includes breast cancer chemotherapy radiation and surgery to remove or destroy the cancer cells. It is extremely useful in controlling damage at such places where the cancer cells have crept away.

Systemic therapy: This includes therapies like the chemotherapy for breast cancer, hormone therapy and biological therapy. This treatment maybe required to help shrink the cancer tumor, prior to the radiation breast cancer treatment. Here the treatment is done through the bloodstream injection that helps to control and destroy the cancer cells in the body. It may also be used for controlling an already-spread cancer condition.

Breast cancer and chemotherapy drugs

Breast cancer drugs are few and very common. Generally instead of one breast cancer chemotherapy drug, a three drug combination is used in order to treat breast cancer. Most recommended drugs are:

• Mitozantrone
• Mitomycin
• Doxorubicin
• 5FU or 5-fluorouracil
• Epirubicin
• Methotrexate
• Cyclophosphamide
• Docetaxel

Breast cancer chemotherapy treatments like “adjuvant chemotherapy” generally include 4-8 drug combination cycles. Drugs like doxorubicin and epirubicin are extensively used.

Most popular combinations are:

• CMF- that is Cyclophosphamide with methotrexate as well as 5-FU
• MM- that includes Methotrexate with mitozantrone
• FEC- containing epirubicin with cyclophosphamide as well as 5-FU
• AC- having doxorubicin (adriamycin) with cyclophosphamide
• MMM- having Mitizantrone and methotrexate with mitomicin
• E-CMF- that is epirubicin followed by the CMF combination

Breast cancer chemotherapy side effects

Often chemotherapy treatments damage the healthy tissues and cells, causing side effects, the nature of which varies from woman to woman, also depending on the treatment used. Besides reducing the white and red blood cells and platelet count, it may also cause:

• · Diarrhea
• · Changes in menstruation cycle
• · Hair loss or thinning
• · Sore eyes
• · Sore mouth
• · Sickness feeling

However, these are usually short term issues that stop with the treatment getting over. Medicines may be taken to control these conditions, on doctor’s approval.

However, sometimes the effects may be long term, like weakness and tiredness, for as long as a year after treatment. It may affect pregnancy capability, or it could affect the periods too. For instance it may take as long as up to a year or six months to get the periods back to the normal cycle after the treatment stops. Menopausal syndromes like seats, hot flushes and mood changes maybe observed.