Chemotherapy and Hormone Therapy
Chemotherapy and Hormone Therapy for Breast Cancer
Chemotherapy and hormone therapy are systemic therapies. They use substances that travel through your bloodstream and spread through your entire body to kill cancer cells wherever they may be.
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy stops the growth of cancer cells by doing one of these:- Kills the cancer cells.
- Prevents the cancer cells from multiplying.
When you take chemotherapy by mouth or have it injected in a vein or muscle, the medication enters your bloodstream. Then, it can reach cancer cells throughout your body.
Hormone Therapy
Glands in your body make hormones, which flow through your bloodstream. Some hormones can cause certain cancers, like breast cancer, to grow.
Hormone therapy removes hormones or stops them from working. This keeps cancer cells from growing. If your test results show that the cancer cells have places where hormones can attach (receptors), your care team may give you medication to:
- Reduce how much hormones your body makes.
- Stop hormones from working
Targeted Therapy
Targeted therapy uses your bloodstream to deliver medications or other substances to your entire body. This helps identify and attack specific cancer cells without hurting healthy cells.
Immunotherapy
Immunotherapy is a treatment that uses your immune system to fight cancer.