What is adjuvant chemotherapy for breast cancer?
What drugs are used in adjuvant chemotherapy? The drugs most commonly used to treat breast cancer include melphalan, cyclophosphamide, methotrexate, 5-fluorouracil, Adriamycin, vincristine, tomaxifen, and prednisone. You may receive two ofthese drugs or as many as five in combination. Why is this adjuvant treatment given? In several research studies, patients who had one or more positive lymph nodes and received chemotherapy after breast cancer surgery, lived longer and had a longer time without disease than those patients with positive nodes who were treated with surgery alone. These studies are continuing, researching many different combinations of drugs. The selection of a specific drug or a combination of drugs is something that will be discussed by your doctor. Is radiation used in treating breast cancer? Yes. Radiation is often advised for lumpectomy or segmental mastectomy as well as when the lymph nodes under the armpit are involved or when the tumor is located i...