Why do chemotherapy before mastectomy

For some types of chemotherapy you have to stay in a hospital ward. This could be overnight or for a couple of days. Morning, Iris. My name is Clare. I am the nurse who is going to be looking after you today. And then I am going to come back to you and talk through the chemotherapy with you and the possible side effects you may experience throughout your treatment. Is that okay? Each chemotherapy is made up for each individual patient, depending on the type of cancer they have and where it is and depending their height, weight and blood results.

So, depending on where your cancer is some people have their chemotherapy drug, their cancer drug by drip, some will have an injection and other people will have tablets.

So, Iris, your chemotherapy is going to be given to you in what we call cycles and the cycles are given every three weeks for a period of six cycles. So, you will be coming in for approximately five months for your chemotherapy. Depending on where your cancer is and what type of cancer you have will be dependent on how often you come in for treatment.

This can range from anything up to an hour to an all day treatment slot so please be prepared to bring along some bits to keep you occupied books and music. You have these either a few days before or on the day you start treatment. You have blood tests before each round or cycle of treatment. The pharmacists make chemotherapy for each person individually. They do this once your blood test results have come through.

Most side effects only last for a few days or so. Your treatment team can help to manage any side effects that you have. If you are still having periods pre menopausal , chemotherapy can stop your ovaries from making the hormone oestrogen. This means you might have an early menopause and become infertile. This can be very difficult to cope with if you wanted to have a child in the future.

For some women, the ovaries begin to work again after treatment. This depends on your age when you have treatment, and the types of chemotherapy drugs you have. Your doctor will talk to you before starting treatment about possible ways of preserving fertility. Chemotherapy for breast cancer can be difficult to cope with. Tell your doctor or nurse about any problems or side effects that you have. The nurse will give you telephone numbers to call if you have any problems at home.

Let your doctors know if you take any supplements or if you have been prescribed anything by alternative or complementary therapy practitioners. They could be harmful. Find out about breast cancer treatments, where and how you have them, and how to cope with possible side effects. Because each person is different, your doctor will tailor the type and dose of medications regimen — often a combination of two or three chemotherapy drugs — to your type of breast cancer and medical history.

Breast cancer chemotherapy sessions can take place at your doctor's office, at an outpatient unit in a hospital or clinic, or at home. Chemotherapy drugs can be given in a variety of ways, including as pills you take at home. Most often they're injected into a vein IV. This can be done through:. Some people feel fine after a chemotherapy session and can return to their schedules and activities. Others may feel side effects more quickly. You may want to arrange for someone to drive you home afterward, at least for the first few sessions, until you see how you feel.

After a few sessions, you may be able to predict more accurately when you'll feel fine and when you may need to cut back on activities. Marking your calendar or keeping a journal may help you track your general response to chemotherapy sessions and plan events accordingly. Following your treatment plan closely is the best way to get the most benefit from chemotherapy.

If side effects become too bothersome, discuss them with your doctor. He or she may be able to adjust the dose or type of chemotherapy medication you're receiving or prescribe other medications to help relieve some symptoms such as nausea. If the number of white cells in your blood drops, your doctor may stop your chemotherapy until your white cells return to a safe level.

Relaxation techniques such as meditation and deep breathing may help reduce stress. And exercise has been shown to help improve sleep and lessen fatigue caused by chemotherapy. Wearing wigs, hats or turbans can make hair loss less obvious. After you complete chemotherapy treatment, your doctor will schedule follow-up visits to monitor for long-term side effects and check for cancer recurrence.

Expect appointments every few months and then less frequently the longer you remain cancer-free. Explore Mayo Clinic studies of tests and procedures to help prevent, detect, treat or manage conditions. Chemotherapy for breast cancer care at Mayo Clinic. Mayo Clinic does not endorse companies or products. Advertising revenue supports our not-for-profit mission.

This content does not have an English version. This content does not have an Arabic version. Overview Chemotherapy for breast cancer uses drugs to target and destroy breast cancer cells. The latest on newly diagnosed breast cancer Up-to-date information on recurrent breast cancer Specialized treatment information for high risk breast cancer Error Select a topic. Email address. Thank you for subscribing You will receive the first breast cancer email in your inbox shortly, which will include information on treatment, diagnosis, surgery and how breast cancer teams at Mayo Clinic approach personalized care.

Sorry something went wrong with your subscription Please, try again in a couple of minutes Retry. Request an Appointment at Mayo Clinic. Share on: Facebook Twitter. Show references Chemotherapy for breast cancer. American Cancer Society. Accessed Dec. Breast cancer.

National Comprehensive Cancer Network. Sikov WM, et al. General principles of neoadjuvant management of breast cancer. What to expect when having chemotherapy. National Cancer Institute. Taghian A, et al. Overview of the treatment of newly diagnosed, invasive, non-metastatic breast cancer. Fertility concerns and preservation for women. Accessed Aug. Chemotherapy to treat cancer.

Long-term side effects of cancer treatment. Sikov WM. The idea is to first shrink the tumor with chemotherapy before any next steps, specifically surgery. Moore says. Keep in mind, not all breast cancers require chemotherapy. And only certain tumors qualify for neoadjuvant chemotherapy. In the past, neoadjuvant therapy was primarily given for locally advanced or inoperable cancers in order to improve the chances of a successful surgery.

But newer studies showed that for tumors that were in fact operable, giving chemotherapy before surgery improved the chances of breast conserving surgery, and often eliminating the need for a mastectomy in many patients.

Certain factors are considered in the choice to give neoadjuvant chemotherapy. These include the size of the tumor, evidence of lymph node involvement as well as the type of breast cancer. Unless the tumor is very small and shows no lymph node involvement most patients with either triple-negative breast cancer or HER2-positive breast cancer will be candidates for chemotherapy — either pre-operatively or post-operatively.

In the best cases, this therapy can completely eradicate all visible tumor from the breast, producing what is called a pathologic complete response.