October 2018 www.womanthismonth.com 66 LIFESTYLE | well-being BATTLING BREAST CANCER Chemotherapy has shown high success rates in treating malignant tumours of the breast. Behnaz Sanjana finds out more about what it is and its undesirable effects. With breast cancer being an unfortunate, but common, occurrence amongst the world’s female population, the word chemotherapy as a way of treatment is a familiar one. It is different from other forms of treatment, like radiation or surgery, in that it does not remove, eradicate or impair cancer cells in a targeted area of the body, but works all over the body. WTM has done the research and consulted with an expert in caring for those fighting the disease to give you a well-rounded gist of what to expect. Overview of Chemotherapy Chemotherapy (also referred to as chemo) may be used to either completely cure cancer for good or simply control the tumours from growing and spreading. The latter allows the patient to live better and longer, even if the malignancy has not completely gone away. However, in advanced cases, it is administered as a form of palliation, which means to help improve the quality of the patient’s life by reducing pain or discomfort caused by cancer. The oncologist (a doctor specialising in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer) decides which chemotherapy drugs a patient needs (it could be one or a combination of several) and the dosage they require. This depends upon the type and stage of the cancer, the patient’s age, other health conditions and previous treatments received. Most of these medications are very strong drugs and need to be given in precisely calculated dosages and schedules. What’s important is to give enough chemo to kill the cancer cells without causing other serious problems. (source: www.cancer.org) As chemo drugs work throughout the body, they have some unwanted side effects, besides working against malignant cells. A representative of Think Pink, Bahrain (name withheld on request), who is also a breast nurse at one of Bahrain’s most renowned and trusted hospitals talks about how to deal with the chemotherapy and its fallouts. “Between six and eight sessions of chemotherapy may be required,” she says, speaking specifically of breast cancer. “Of course, this depends on the histopathology result of the tumour. The sessions are spaced three to four weeks apart. The medicine is given intravenously at the hospital and the patient can go home the same day.” She mentions that, usually, radiation therapy is given to the cancerous area after chemotherapy sessions are completed. “This is followed by hormone therapy for almost five years as a prophylactic [a preventive measure],” she adds. Our expert maintains that it is important that patients know about their treatment plan and the side effects of chemotherapy. “During and after chemotherapy, one is advised to take rest, take medications as prescribed, eat healthy food and avoid coming in contact with sick people for a few days, till their own immunity recovers. Chemotherapy is the most difficult time in cancer treatment, so it is best to concentrate on the treatment’s goal with high spirits and a positive outlook,” she says. The most common undesirable effects of chemotherapy are hair loss, nausea, vomiting and fatigue. “These side effects occur because chemotherapy given through the veins also damages healthy cells,” says our expert, while giving us tips in dealing with other lesser known consequences of the treatment.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy Mjk0MTkxMQ==