In patients with stage 1 or 2 breast cancer, chemotherapy is more likely to cure cancer, while in stage 3 or 4 breast cancer, the treatment can help shrink the tumors to ease the pain and other symptoms. They are not all created equal. It’ the stuff that makes your hair fall out. Chemotherapy drugs are designed to kill cancer cells. Despite the effectiveness of chemo in the treatment of breast cancer, there are also many side effects and risks which should be considered. Stage 3 breast cancer Chemotherapy for breast cancer uses drugs to target and destroy breast cancer cells. Chemotherapy is used to treat advanced-stage breast cancer by destroying or damaging the cancer cells as much as possible. It is only given for invasive cancer. Chemotherapy for breast cancer frequently is used in addition to other treatments, such as surgery, radiation or hormone therapy. For people with breast cancer, drugs can be combined in a regimen. Metastatic breast cancer (also called stage IV or advanced breast cancer) is not a specific type of breast cancer. Endocrine therapy. Chemotherapy means the treatment of cancer with drugs. A doctor may recommend a combination of radiation therapy, chemotherapy, and hormone therapy (if the cancer is hormone receptive) to people with stage 2A or 2B breast cancer. These drugs are usually given directly into a vein through a needle or as a pill. Metastatic breast cancer is breast cancer that has spread beyond the breast and nearby lymph nodes to other parts of the body (most often the bones, lungs, liver or brain).
Very effective treatment is available for all stages of breast cancer; however, outcomes are usually more favorable when the cancer is found at stage 1 or stage 2. Because chemotherapy medicines affect the entire body, chemotherapy is commonly used to treat advanced-stage breast cancer. This is what people usually think of when they think of chemotherapy. It's the most advanced stage of breast cancer. It is not given for DCIS. Chemotherapy is a word that is used to describe a broad range of anti-cancer drugs. Metastatic cancer is considered stage IV. I’m not a doctor, I’m the patient. In the case of breast cancer, drug treatment includes: Intravenous chemotherapy drugs. Here are the most common regimens.