Q: What is chemotherapy?
A: Chemotherapy is short for chemotherapy. Chemotherapy is a systemic treatment method of “fighting poison with poison”. These drugs are mainly based on the characteristics that tumor cells proliferate faster than normal cells, and kill tumor cells by directly destroying the structure of tumor cells or blocking the substances needed in the process of cell proliferation. Therefore, chemotherapy also has some killing effect on normal cells.
Q: Why do I need chemotherapy after surgical resection?
A: The main fatal risk of breast cancer is systemic metastasis, and there may be “micro” lesions in the body after surgery, which can be controlled through chemotherapy.
Q: Does it mean that I am advanced if my doctor recommends chemotherapy?
A: No. Although chemotherapy is the primary treatment for advanced recurrent metastatic tumors, there is a growing body of research showing that post-operative or pre-operative chemotherapy for breast cancer can reduce the risk of recurrent metastasis, prolong recurrence-free time, improve overall patient survival, and increase cure rates.
Q: Do all breast cancers need chemotherapy after surgery?
A: Just like a tailor makes a tailor-made dress, the doctor will make a choice based on the patient’s preoperative and postoperative pathology (including tumor size, number of lymph node metastases, surgical procedure, immunohistochemistry status, etc.) Some patients may not need chemotherapy.
Q: Why did my doctor tell me to receive chemotherapy first instead of surgery when I have been diagnosed with breast cancer?
A: Chemotherapy before surgery is called neoadjuvant chemotherapy and is a relatively new treatment concept. For certain patients with large breast lumps or more axillary lymph nodes, chemotherapy can be given first, which can shrink the tumor, reduce the tumor stage, prevent the occurrence of distant metastasis early, and improve the long-term survival rate.
Q: Does chemotherapy cycle mean one week?
A: The chemotherapy cycle refers to how often chemotherapy drugs are given repeatedly. Depending on the drug, usually 2-4 weeks is a cycle, i.e. from the first day of chemotherapy drug injection to the 14th, 21st or 28th day.
Q: Is chemotherapy used every day?
A: No. Usually chemotherapy drugs are infused for only a few days during a chemotherapy cycle, and the rest of the time can be spent resting to help the body recover for the next cycle of chemotherapy. Only a few oral chemotherapy drugs may be taken for a longer period of time, even at low doses continuously by mouth.
Q: How long does chemotherapy usually last?
A: It usually ranges from 4-8 cycles after surgery and 4-6 cycles for advanced patients, but the exact duration will be adjusted by the doctor depending on the drugs and toxicity.
Q: What do you mean by chemotherapy regimen?
A: A chemotherapy regimen is a combination of several chemotherapy drugs used alone or in combination inside the same cycle.
Q: What are the commonly used chemotherapy drugs for breast cancer?
A: Cyclophosphamide, epoetin, paclitaxel, docetaxel, capecitabine, vincristine, gemcitabine are all commonly used chemotherapeutic drugs for breast cancer.
Q: What are the adverse effects of chemotherapy?
A: Common adverse reactions of chemotherapy include hair loss, gastrointestinal reactions such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, impaired internal organ functions including heart, lung, liver and kidney, bone marrow suppression, decreased immune function, neurotoxicity, etc. The incidence and severity of side effects vary from drug to drug.
Q: I am very afraid of chemotherapy. Will the deterioration of my body after chemotherapy accelerate the tumor progression?
A: Chemotherapy does have some side effects, but it is important to look at them correctly. Most of the side effects can be controlled and mitigated by drugs and other means at present. Doctors will weigh the benefits of chemotherapy against the possible toxicity and choose whether to give chemotherapy or not.
Q: Can I still recover from the side effects of chemotherapy?
A: Chemotherapy drugs are metabolized and excreted in the body over a certain period of time, so most of the side effects of chemotherapy can be recovered after chemotherapy is stopped.
Q: Are all chemotherapy drugs administered intravenously?
A: Most chemotherapy drugs are infused intravenously, but now there are also some oral chemotherapy drugs with good efficacy and relatively less toxicity, which are convenient to take at home. So don’t think that poor health refuses to receive chemotherapy, you may lose the chance of treatment instead.
Q: Can I take Chinese medicine during chemotherapy?
A: During chemotherapy, you can take Chinese medicine to regulate your body and reduce the reaction of chemotherapy according to your physical condition and the size of the side effects, but it is recommended that you must go to a regular Chinese medicine hospital or the Chinese medicine department of an oncology hospital. We should not give up the regular treatment by believing that certain prescriptions or traditional Chinese medicine can cure tumor.
Q: Is it true that the greater the side effects of chemotherapy, the better the efficacy?
A: The side effects of chemotherapy vary from person to person. Most of the side effects are not related to the efficacy. Some patients mistakenly believe that the greater the side effects, the better the efficacy, and take a strong way to tolerate the side effects after they appear, without telling the doctor to deal with them accordingly, which is actually wrong and affects the subsequent compliance with chemotherapy and creates fear, which is harmful rather than beneficial to the treatment.
Q: How can I know if chemotherapy drugs are effective for me?
A: There is no suitable test for post-operative prophylactic chemotherapy patients
Q: Can I go to work during chemotherapy?
A: Theoretically, it is not recommended. However, appropriate exercise and recreational activities, such as playing tai chi and listening to music, can be carried out during chemotherapy to improve physical fitness and reduce the mental stress caused by chemotherapy.
Q: Can I use other drugs during chemotherapy?
A: Some drugs may interfere with the efficacy of chemotherapy or aggravate toxicity. You should check with your doctor if you can use other drugs during chemotherapy before using them.
Q: How should I eat well during chemotherapy?
A: During chemotherapy, you should eat less and more, not less. Diet should be light, less residue, easy to digest, avoid stimulating, greasy, spicy food. Nutrition should be adequate, reasonable mix.