Breast Cancer Treatment Side Effects You May Not Know About
Breast cancer is a serious disease that affects millions of women around the world. While there are many different treatment options available, each one comes with its own set of side effects. Some of these side effects may be well-known, but others are not as commonly discussed.
Hair Loss
One common side effect of breast cancer treatment is hair loss. Chemotherapy drugs can cause hair follicles to stop growing and lead to thinning or complete baldness. This can be distressing for some women who may feel self-conscious about their appearance.
Nausea and Vomiting
Chemotherapy drugs also have a tendency to cause nausea and vomiting in patients undergoing treatment. This can make it difficult for patients to eat properly and maintain their weight during treatment.
Fatigue
Another common side effect of breast cancer treatment is fatigue. Patients often feel tired and weak due to the stress on their bodies from chemotherapy or radiation therapy.
Lymphedema
Lymphedema is a condition where excess fluid builds up in tissues after surgery or radiation therapy, causing swelling in the arms or legs. It occurs when lymph nodes are removed or damaged during breast cancer treatment.
Heart Damage
Certain chemotherapy drugs used in breast cancer treatment can damage heart muscle cells, leading to heart failure later in life.
Bone Density Loss
Some treatments for breast cancer such as aromatase inhibitors can reduce bone density over time which increases the risk of osteoporosis fractures (1).
Depression and Anxiety
Living with a diagnosis like Breast Cancer can be stressful enough without adding depression into the mix; however studies show that 25% - 30% percent experience major depressive disorder at some point following diagnosis (2). Anxiety levels also tend increase post-diagnosis especially among those who had undergone mastectomy procedures (3).
Future Advances
Research continues into finding new ways to treat Breast Cancer while minimizing negative impacts on patients. One such area of focus is targeted therapy, which uses drugs to target specific proteins or genes that are involved in the growth and spread of cancer cells (4). This approach has shown promise in clinical trials for certain types of breast cancer.
Another area of research is immunotherapy, which harnesses the body's immune system to fight cancer cells (5). Clinical trials have shown promising results with this approach as well.
In conclusion, while breast cancer treatment can be effective at treating the disease, it comes with a range of side effects that can impact patients both physically and emotionally. It’s important for healthcare providers to educate their patients about these side effects so they can prepare themselves mentally and physically before starting treatment. As research continues into new treatments options like targeted therapy and immunotherapy we hope to see fewer negative impacts on Breast Cancer Patients in future years.
References:
1) American Cancer Society: https://www.cancer.org/cancer/breast-cancer/treatment/side-effects-of-breast-cancer-treatment.html
2) National Center for Biotechnology Information: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5688686/
3) Journal Of Psychosocial Oncology Research And Practice: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/jpor.2020
4) National Breast Cancer Foundation: https://www.nationalbreastcancer.org/targeted-therapy-for-breast-cancer
5) American Society Of Clinical Oncology: https://www.cancer.net/blog/2019-02/new-frontiers-immunotherapy-breast-cancer
*Note: this site does not provide medical opinions or diagnosis and should not be relied upon instead of receiving medical attention from a licensed medical professional.
