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by: MengY
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Doctors and experts alike feel that for the majority of breast cancer cases, chemotherapy isn't always the best treatment choice. For the women it is right for, chemotherapy is capable of providing results that are both long term and effective.

Chemotherapy is the use of drugs to aid in fighting off cancer. The pharmacology industry is becoming more and more advanced., because of this the drugs currently used in chemotherapy are safer, and more targeted for specific types of caner. The drugs are more effective and have less side effects than drugs from the past. Today physicians prescribe their cancer patients a "drug cocktail" to help to curb the side effects while providing more effective treatment.

The drugs used typically interfere with the cells' ability to divide, since that is one of the chief characteristics of cancers, an uncontrolled growth from abnormal cell division in breast cancer tissue.

Typically chemotherapy is used when a person's cancer is so advanced that it requires an intense and rigorous treatment to eliminate the cancer cells effectively. Cancer cell clumps are capable of growing and spreading to other areas. When this happens it is often a given that chemotherapy is the best solution.

Cancers can come back. The causes of this is not currently understood. In some instances it could be that the original cancer was not completely eradicated. It could also be the case that the true cause that originally generated the cancerous tumor is still both active and present, causing the cancer to show itself. Whatever the reason is, Chemotherapy is typically used.

But one of the more serious complications with chemotherapy treatments is related to its side effects. Though the drugs are improving in this regard, chemotherapy treatments sometimes affect healthy cells as well as cancerous ones. That results in healthy systems being harmed and lessened in function.

Radiation also has its own negatives. Radiation compromises an individual's immune system, which is needed to help to fight cancer.

Sometimes an individual will experience issues with their digestive system. Side effects might include nausea, hair loss, and even poor composition of bone marrow. Bone marrow is necessary for a lot of different functions of the body. More importantly it aids in the creation of both red and white blood cells.

Damage to heart, kidney and other organs is possible, though this is uncommon since cells in these organs don't divide as frequently under natural circumstances. In some studies, memory and concentration loss were associated with chemotherapy treatments. Older female patients often find the reproductive cycle altered, bringing on premature menopause. 'Female patients' is specified here since men, too, can contract breast cancer.

Still, drugs in use today are better tolerated and more targeted that those of previous generations. They may help cut off vessels that supply blood to the tumors which encourage the growth of just such vessels to feed themselves. There are a variety of chemotherapy regimens, with each one designed for the individual patient and his or her circumstances.

Though it is not a pleasant experience, chemotherapy offers individuals the opportunity to fight against a formerly always fatal disease. Today, it is possible to survive long term, with fewer long term side effects. This is thanks to chemotherapy.