Chemotherapy Then and Now - A Look at Chemo for Breast Cancer Patients

Many women's first line treatment for breast cancer involves chemotherapy. In times of old many considered chemotherapy an invasive, dangerous and harmful procedure with little proof of a positive outcome.

Not so today. Researchers today have refined chemotherapy treatments to offer women the best possible treatment for breast cancer with the least possible side effects. For many, new developments in chemotherapy treatment may mean the difference between life and death.

New Developments in Chemotherapy Research
According to a recent study conducted by members of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and others, soon to be published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, advances in medical technology no prove chemotherapy is effective in reducing a woman's risk of breast cancer recurrence.

The research conducted involved women who had breast cancer that spread to the lymph nodes and women receiving treatments alongside chemotherapy. The goal of the study was to find out whether the use of new chemotherapy treatments would improve a woman's odds of survival five years from remission and further into the future.

The study is among one of the largest exploring the cumulative effects of multiple treatments to combat breast cancer in certain women. According to the results of this study, women treated with chemotherapy that had ER-negative and ER-positive tumors were more likely to experience longer-term remission than those women not receiving treatment.

In fact, the study suggested use of chemotherapy in select groups of women with certain types of breast cancer may reduce their risk of death or recurrence by as much as 23-26 percent, a significant amount by research standards.

Who Does Chemotherapy Benefit?
While the results of this study show promise for women with many subtypes of breast cancer, those with the best results had ER-negative breast cancers, where the tumors found in patients were "estrogen-receptor negative." These patients also received other new therapies including tamoxifen.

Researchers plan to continue studying the use of new chemotherapy approaches in an attempt to decrease the risk of death and recurrence in all women however, even further. Thanks to the combined efforts of researchers, the public and the American Cancer Society, much money and support is provided to large organizations as this trying to put a stop to breast cancer.

Every little bit counts. Women with cancer, regardless of the subtype, should have hope that in the near future, scientists will find a treatment that will eliminate the risk for recurrence or death from breast cancer entirely. With hope, anything is possible.