Chemotherapy for Breast Cancer
What chemotherapy is
Chemotherapy means treatment with drugs. But in cancer treatment it means 'cytotoxic chemotherapy' – drugs that kill cancer cells. The drugs work by disrupting the growth of cancer cells. The drugs can't tell the difference between cancer cells and normal cells. Chemotherapy kills cells that are actively growing and dividing into new cells. Cancer cells are not as good at repairing themselves as normal cells. Normal cells can usually repair any damage caused by chemotherapy. Chemotherapy is the use of anti-cancer drugs to treat cancerous cells. Chemotherapy reaches all part of the body, not just the cancer cells.
For breast cancer, you may have chemotherapy
As treatment for breast cancer that has spread or come back
We have information about developments in chemotherapy and current trials on the what's new in breast cancer treatment page.
Treatment before surgery
Chemotherapy before surgery can make a tumour smaller. Treatment after surgery
Chemotherapy after surgery is called adjuvant therapy. The lymph nodes under your arm contained breast cancer cells
Your breast cancer cells were high grade (grade 3)
Chemotherapy can kill these cells and so reduces the risk of the cancer coming back.
Often, doctors use more than one chemotherapy drug at the same time. The multi drug chemotherapy helped women under 50 the most, but older women up to age 69 also benefited. Oestrogen can stimulate some breast cancer cells to grow.
Not all women who have chemotherapy become infertile. You may also be advised to have hormone therapy after surgery and chemotherapy. There is a section about hormone therapy for breast cancer in CancerHelp
Treating cancer that has come back
Many women have no more problems after their original treatment for breast cancer. But sometimes breast cancer comes back or spreads. Breast cancer that has spread to other parts of the body is called 'secondary breast cancer' or 'metastatic' breast cancer. Secondary breast cancer is often treated with chemotherapy.
How you have chemotherapy
There is information in CancerHelp
You have chemotherapy as a course of treatment. The drug treatment, followed by the break makes up one 'cycle'. You may have up to 8 treatment cycles. There is more about treatment cycles and planning chemotherapy in our main chemotherapy section.
The type of breast cancer
The drugs used
In cancer that has spread it also depends on how well the cancer responds to the drugs
You are most likely to have your chemotherapy treatment in the outpatient department. The drugs used to treat breast cancer
Quite a few different chemotherapy drugs are commonly used for breast cancer. Usually you would have a combination of about 3 chemotherapy drugs together. The drugs are
Cyclophosphamide
Epirubicin
Methotrexate
Mitozantrone
NICE guidance recommends that chemotherapy after surgery for breast cancer should consist of 4 to 8 cycles of a combination of drugs, including an anthracycline (epirubicin or doxorubicin).
In September 2006, the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) approved the chemotherapy drug docetaxel (Taxotere) after surgery for women with early stage breast cancer who have lymph nodes under the arm that contain cancer cells. A review of chemotherapy trials for early breast cancer reported in 2009. CMF – cyclophosphamide, methotrexate and fluorouracil
Different combinations of drugs have different side effects. Taking supplements or herbal medicines with chemotherapy
Scientists and doctors are working together all the time to investigate new chemotherapy drugs and combinations. You can find out about current chemotherapy trials for breast cancer by searching our clinical trials database. We also have details of breast cancer books.
There is more information in the main chemotherapy section. Chemotherapy planning
Having treatment
Living with chemotherapy
The type and stage of the cancer
Chemotherapy treatments are often given in cycles; a treatment for a period of time, followed by a recovery period, then another treatment.
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