Breast Cancer Drug

The breast cancer drug has improved survival rate among cancer patients. The name of that breast cancer treatment drug is Taxotere. In June of 2005, in The New England Journal of Medicine, they compared taxotere to fluorouracil. This study involved nearly 1,500 women with breast cancer. They lived in 20 different countries. They were 18 – 70 years old. The study lasted 4.5 years.

Types of Chemotherapy

In addition to Taxotere, there are other breast cancer chemotherapy drugs. Chemotherapy is treatment with cancer-killing drugs. They are usually given intravenously. Sometimes they are given by mouth as a pill. There are two kinds of chemotherapy:

• Adjuvant therapy is given to patients after surgery. It reduces the risk of the breast cancer coming back. The other goal is to kill undetected cells that may have traveled from the breast.
• Neoadjuvant therapy is given before surgery. The major benefit is the shrinking of large cancers. Then, a lumpectomy will be done and not a mastectomy. If the tumor does not shrink, your doctor may try a different breast cancer drug.

Chemotherapy Drugs

Chemotherapy is most effective when combinations of more than one drug are used. Some of the most commonly used breast cancer treatment drug combinations are:

• CMF: cyclophosphamide, methothrexate, and 5-fluorouaracil
• CAF: cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, and 5-fluorouracil
• AC: doxorubicin, and cyclophosphamide
• EC: epirubicin, and cyclophosphamide
• TAC: docetaxel, doxorubicin, and cyclophosphamide
• AC -> T: doxorubicin and cyclophosphamide followed by Taxol or Taxotere
• A -> CMF: doxorubicin, followed by CMF
• CEF: cyclophosphamide, epirubicin and 5-fluorouracil
• TC: docetaxel and cyclophosphamide
• GT: gemcitabine and paclitaxel

Some other breast cancer chemotherapy drugs are: carboplatin, cisplatin, vinorelbine, capecitabine, and ixabepilone. Chemotherapy is usually given in cycles. Each period of treatment is followed by a rest period. The time between chemotherapy drugs is generally 2 or 3 weeks. The cycles last for a total time of 3 to 6 months. Treatment may be longer for advanced breast cancer.

Possible Side Effects

Breast cancer chemotherapy drugs work by attacking cells that divide quickly. Those are the cancer cells. Other cells in the body such as bone marrow, mouth, hair follicles, and intestines also divide quickly. That is why they may be affected. That will lead to some of these common side effects:

• Hair loss
• Mouth sores
• Loss of appetite
• Nausea and/or vomiting
• Chance of infections (from low white blood counts)
• Easy bruising or bleeding (from low platelet counts)
• Fatigue (from low red blood cell counts)

Your particular breast cancer drug may also cause other changes. Menstrual changes in younger women are common. Neuropathy from nerve damage causes pain or tingling. Heart damage results form long time use and high doses. Chemobrain refers to problems with concentration or memory. Fatigue is a common complaint and can last for years. If your breast cancer had the HER-2 gene you may be treated with Herceptin.

If you have Stage II or Stage III, or Stage IV breast cancer, your course of treatment will probably include chemotherapy.

Written by Margaret Stenerson-Reynolds
08-18-09
Reviewed by Susan McCracken
08-26-09