Breast Cancer Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy for Breast Cancer Treatment

Chemotherapy is one of three major conventional breast cancer treatment options offered at Cancer Treatment Centers of America (CTCA). Although chemotherapy is sometimes associated with adverse side effects, CTCA offers innovative delivery methods that are designed to make your breast cancer chemotherapy as tolerable as possible. Fractionated-dose chemotherapy is just one example of how CTCA oncologists can help mitigate side effects by administering a full treatment dose in smaller doses over a longer period of time, rather than all at once.

Chemotherapy is the use of anticancer drugs for breast cancer treatment. These drugs are designed to interfere with and halt the growth of rapidly dividing cancer cells in your body. Your doctors may suggest chemotherapy as a form of breast cancer treatment before or after surgery. Breast cancer chemotherapy is usually administered intravenously (through the vein) or orally in the form of pills. Your medical oncologist may also recommend a central port placement to help preserve your vein tissue from chemotherapy-related side effects.

Chemotherapy is used for breast cancer treatment in three main ways:

• Neoadjuvant or primary systemic breast cancer chemotherapy may be used before surgery to reduce the size of large tumors and to destroy cancer cells. This type of chemotherapy often makes breast-conserving surgery possible. and also helps our cancer doctors to determine the effectiveness of a particular regimen on your tumor.


• Adjuvant breast cancer chemotherapy, used after surgery or radiation, helps to further target breast cancer cells that may not have been removed during surgery, and/or may also prevent breast cancer from spreading to other parts of your body.


• Systemic breast cancer chemotherapy is designed to reach cancer cells throughout the entire body and not just the breast. It is normally used to treat patients with locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer.

Physicians have a variety of ways to monitor the effects of your breast cancer chemotherapy treatment, including physical exams, blood tests, CT scans, MRI scans and X-rays.

Common side effects of breast cancer chemotherapy are fatigue, hair loss, nausea and suppression of bone marrow function. The side effects of breast cancer treatment can be treated and/or minimized by the conventional and complementary therapy options offered by CTCA. Through nurturing alternative therapies, such as nutrition, image enhancement, naturopathic medicine, spiritual support and more, we work to make you as comfortable as possible during your breast cancer chemotherapy treatment.

Next Topic: Breast Cancer – Fractionated-Dose Chemotherapy

Breast Cancer