Breast cancer chemotherapy

There are three major types of chemotherapy.

• Neoadjuvant chemotherapy
  • given before surgery to shrink the size of a tumor
• Adjuvant chemotherapy
  • given after surgery to reduce the risk of recurrence
• Palliative chemotherapy
  • used to control (but not cure) the cancer in settings in which the cancer has spread beyond the breast and localized lymph nodes
  
  
• Multiple chemotherapeutic agents may be used in combination to treat patients with breast cancer. Determining the appropriate regimen to use depends on many factors; such as, the character of the tumor, lymph node status, and the age and health of the patient. In general, chemotherapy has increasing side effects as the patient's age passes

The following is a list of commonly used adjuvant chemotherapy for breast cancer:

• CMF: cyclophosphamide, methotrexate, and 5-fluorouracil given 4-weekly for 6 cycles
• FAC (or CAF): 5-fluorouracil, doxorubicin, cyclophosphamide given 3-weekly for 6 cycles
• AC (or CA): Adriamycin (doxorubicin) and cyclophosphamide given 3-weekly for 4 cycles
• AC-Taxol: AC given 3-weekly for 4 cycles followed by paclitaxel given either 3-weekly for 4 cycles or weekly (at a smaller dose) for 12 weeks
• TAC: Taxotere (docetaxel), Adriamycin (doxorubicin), and cyclophosphamide given 3-weekly for 6 cycles
• FEC: 5-fluorouracil, epirubicin and cyclophosphamide given 3-weekly for 6 cycles
• FECD: FEC given 3-weekly for 3 cycles followed by docetaxel given 3-weekly for 3 cycles
• TC: Taxotere (docetaxel) and cyclophosphamide given 3-weekly for 4 or 6 cycles