Advanced breast cancer includes locally advanced breast cancer and recurrent/metastatic breast cancer. In locally advanced breast cancer, although the lesions are confined to the breast area without distant metastases, it is basically impossible to completely remove the tumor even with radical breast cancer surgery because the tumor is large and has invaded the surrounding tissues, so chemotherapy and other measures are usually administered first in order to shrink the tumor, lower the stage and win the chance of surgery. For recurrent/metastatic breast cancer, doctors usually use some systemic treatment options, such as chemotherapy, depending on the situation.
As you can see, chemotherapy is one of the main options for advanced breast cancer treatment. So, which advanced breast cancer patients can receive chemotherapy? Consider chemotherapy first if 1 of the following factors is present:
- Hormone receptor-negative;
- Visceral metastases with corresponding symptoms;
- Hormone receptor negative;
- Hormone receptor positive
- Hormone receptor-positive but resistant to endocrine therapy.
But it should also be noted that physicians do not recommend chemotherapy for patients with advanced breast cancer if they have the following contraindications:
- Poor general condition, old and frail, unable to tolerate chemotherapy;
- Poor function of the bone marrow hematopoietic system, with red blood cell, white blood cell, and platelet counts below the normal range;
- Abnormal liver and kidney function;
- Has severe cardiac and pulmonary abnormalities;
- Has had multiple courses of chemotherapy and extensive radiotherapy with severe complications;
- Mentally abnormal and unable to cooperate with treatment;
- Pregnancy;
- Caution for allergic patients, and contraindicated for those who are allergic to chemotherapeutic agents;
- There is a tendency for perforation of the esophagus and gastrointestinal tract.
Chemotherapy, although an important option in the treatment of advanced breast cancer, varies from person to person, and doctors will give sound advice based on the patient’s specific situation.