Question 1

what exactly is adjuvant chemotherapy?

Accepted Answer

Preventative: Adjuvant therapy, is treatment  given following  the primary, main or initial treatment.   It is usually given after surgery where all detectable disease has been removed, but where there remains a statistical risk of relapse due to occult disease  In contrast neoadjuvant therapy,  is given before the main treatment to reduce the size of the tumor so as to facilitate more effective surgery.

Question 2

when is it important to start adjuvant chemotherapy?

Accepted Answer

Within about 8 weeks: Most adjuvant chemotherapy trials stipulate that treatment begin within 8 weeks of surgery, thus this is generally the advice given.

Question 3

what is the definition or description of: adjuvant chemotherapy?

Accepted Answer

Adjuvant chemo: Adjuvant chemotherapy is chemotherapy use in conjunction with another treatment modality (type). An example is most patients receive 6 cycles of chemotherapy after primary surgical debulking for ovarian cancer. This is adjuvant chemotherapy.

Question 4

if a breast cancer patient undergoes neo-adjuvant chemotherapy, how will she ever know her true nodal status?

Accepted Answer

Sentinel LN Biopsy: It is somewhat controversial when to perform sentinel lymph node (ln) biopsy in this setting: some advocate performing this prior to chemo, so as to determine an accurate stage; others believe that the status of the ln after chemo is most pertinent.  In my practice, i will perform a needle-biopsy of any abnormal ln prior to chemo.  If none are evident, i wait until after chemo.

Question 5

does chemotherapy affect eyesight?

Accepted Answer

It can, yes.: Most effects on the eyes are minor and temporary, such as dry eyes, watery eyes, and irritation (called "conjunctivitis"); but chemo can cause more serious problems, like cataracts. You should notify your oncologist immediately if you notice any change at all in your eyesight.

Question 6

how severely does chemotherapy hurt?

Accepted Answer

That is a myth: Chemotherapy should not and it does not hurt!
chemotherapy is simply use of medicines to treat cancer. Why should these hurt? Yes, these medicines do have some side effects(like nausea and hair loss) but it is not any kind of pain.

Question 7

what is chemotherapy? how does it work?

Accepted Answer

Name for drugs used: Drugs used for Cancer treatment are often called chemotherapy. These are basically chemicals, many of them synthetic, others derived from natural sources like plans and herbs.

Question 8

is the chemotherapy a risky thing to do?

Accepted Answer

Yes: Chemotherapy has many potential risks. The potential adverse events and dose limiting toxicities should be discussed the your cancer physician and team. The important concept is understanding the "risk/benefit ratio". That is, what potential benefit is worth the risks?  Also, what alternatives are available?

Question 9

if you have chemotherapy can you have kids?

Accepted Answer

Yes: This is a great question!  chemotherapy can damage your eggs or sperm, so it's vital that you talk about your desire to have children before starting chemotherapy!  men can bank sperm before chemotherapy and women can bank eggs/embryos.  Many types of chemotherapy can make you infertile depending on your age, but you can safely have children later if you've planned ahead and stored your "stuff"!

Question 10

what risks are associated with chemotherapy?

Accepted Answer

There are a few: Chemotherapy has side effects but they can be controlled with counter drugs. Side effects may come in the form of nausea, vomiting, hair loss, low blood counts which can lead to infections. So a close monitoring is required and antidotes to prevent these side effects are used as needed.

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Doctor answers about:

Adjuvant chemotherapy

A member asked:

What exactly is adjuvant chemotherapy?

A member asked:

When is it important to start adjuvant chemotherapy?

A member asked:

What is the definition or description of: adjuvant chemotherapy?

A member asked:

If a breast cancer patient undergoes neo-adjuvant chemotherapy, how will she ever know her true nodal status?

A member asked:

Does chemotherapy affect eyesight?

A member asked:

How severely does chemotherapy hurt?

A member asked:

What is chemotherapy? how does it work?

A member asked:

Is the chemotherapy a risky thing to do?

A member asked:

If you have chemotherapy can you have kids?

A member asked:

What risks are associated with chemotherapy?

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