0800 612 9490 | info@thamesbreastclinic.com

Thames Breast Clinic
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CHEMOTHERAPY

Chemotherapy is treatment with one or more anti-cancer (cytotoxic) drugs aimed at preventing the breast cancer spreading or coming back. Not all patients need chemotherapy, though it is increasingly used as part of the treatment package in breast cancer.

Whether or not your Thames Breast Clinic oncologist recommends chemotherapy will depend on a number of factors, including your age, the grade of your breast cancer, the size of the cancer and whether it has spread to the lymph nodes. At the Thames Breast Clinic we also offer Oncotype DX testing if required. This test allows your oncologist to accurately predict how beneficial chemotherapy would be to your particular case, and thus allows a patient tailored approach.

There are several different chemotherapy drugs and a course of treatment generally combines two or three of these. A chemotherapy course is made up of repeated cycles of treatment, usually three to four few weeks apart, over a patient-tailored eight months. Chemotherapy drugs are usually given directly into your bloodstream, either by an injection directly into a vein or through a drip into a vein over a period of minutes or hours (an infusion). Chemotherapy may be given before surgery (called neoadjuvant chemotherapy) or more typically after your operation. Your Thames Breast Clinic Consultant oncologist will advise the most appropriate option for you.

Most women suffer some short-term side-effects with chemotherapy treatment. These include:

  • tiredness
  • nausea
  • vomiting
  • a sore mouth
  • mouth ulcers
  • muscle and joint aches
  • diarrhoea
  • hair loss (anything from slight to complete)
  • weight gain
  • menopausal symptoms

It is important to remember that much can be done to help alleviate  side effects, so if you do experience any of these, please tell your Thames Breast Clinic Oncologist or Breast Care Nurse.

Contact Us in Confidence

0800 612 9490
info@thamesbreastclinic.com

THAMES BREAST CLINIC LOCATIONS

BMI PRINCESS MARGARET HOSPITAL

Osborne Road,
Windsor, Berkshire, SL4 3SJ

BMI CLEMENTINE CHURCHILL

Sudbury Hill,
Harrow HA1 3RX

SPIRE THAMES VALLEY HOSPITAL

Wexham Street, Wexham
Slough, SL3 6NH

64 HARLEY STREET

London,
W1G 7HB

BMI BISHOPS WOOD HOSPITAL

Rickmansworth Road,
Northwood HA6 2JW

THE HOLLY PRIVATE HOSPITAL

High Road,
Buckhurst Hill IG9 5HX

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