What is breast cancer?

One problem that is causing death among women is breast cancer. All over world breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed life-threatening cancer in women.  Breast cancer is usually detected as a an abnormality on a mammogram before it is felt by the patient. Therefore general approach to judgement of breast cancer has become formalized as triple assessment such as clinical examination, imaging (usually mammography and/or ultrasonography), and needle biopsy.  

Due to the public awareness and improved screen today breast cancer is recognized at early stage amenable to complete surgical resection and curative therapies. Due to latest technology and awareness of breast cancer the survival rates for breast cancer have improved considerably, mainly in young women.

Therefore surgery is considered as a primary treatment for breast cancer. Patient with early stage of breast cancer are cured with surgery alone.

For treating breast cancer adjuvant treatment is designed to treat micometastatic disease or breast cancer cell that have missed the breast and regional lymph nodes but which have not yet had an established identifiable metastasis. It has been found that adjuvant therapy helps about  35-72% of the reduction in mortality rate.

Taking chemotherapy for beast cancer

Therefore by going through chemotherapy for breast cancer treatment  can affect more than just your cancer here are few ways to handle chemo’s side effects. As chemotherapy medicine is usually used for destroying rapidly dividing cancer cells it is a common treatment which is given for battling with breast cancer. Though chemotherapy can kill cancer cells and you will become healthy again, the road back to good health can be long, challenging, and fraught with side effects.

Though chemotherapy is designed for destroying cancer cells but on the other hand it can also damage or destroy other cells such as healthy cells and can cause a number of side effects.  Usually side effects depend on drug which you have taken for treating the breast cancer according to Kathleen Havlin, MD, associate professor in the division of hematology and oncology at the University of Cincinnati. While getting treatment of chemotherapy you can feel tired and weak and not feel like eating, due to this you may get hair fall problem. Many women also find that they bleed or bruise more easily during chemotherapy and that they develop mouth sores.

The most common side effects of Chemotherapy is nausea and vomiting. Chemotherapy can also decrease your white blood cell count (leucopenia), which can leave you vulnerable to infections. Though this side effect can be controlled with technology. As you can go for injection available for chemotherapy for preventing white blood cell count from dropping down.

Though chemotherapy is designed for destroying harmful cancer cells yet it can do damage to your body's healthy cells as well.

Other tips to help you manage the day-to-day toll that chemotherapy takes on your body include:

1. Controlling nausea and vomiting by medications, taking small and frequent meals, or eating bland food which is easily digested.
2. Doing regular exercise and eating healthy balance diet help to fight with fatigue.
3. Avoid eating spicy food, hot food, alcohol and smoking for reducing and avoiding mouth sores you can use sour cream before taking meal.
4. Always consume fresh food and vegetables.

Therefore by changing your lifestyle, depending on your specific reactions to chemotherapy. Therefore always keep communication with your doctor if you have taken chemotherapy for latest updates for getting rid of side-effects.