Archive for the ‘Cancer’ Category
BREAST CANCER: ADJUVANT THERAPY. CLINICAL TRIALS
Adjuvant therapy
Following surgery for breast cancer, you may be referred to a cancer specialist – an oncologist – for further treatment. Treatment that is auxiliary to the main form of treatment – in this case surgery – is known as adjuvant therapy, and its aim in treating women with breast cancer is to destroy any cancer cells that may remain in the body after the tumour has been surgically removed.
Following an operation for breast cancer, the adjuvant therapy may be with X-rays (radiotherapy), drugs (chemotherapy), or hormones. You will see a consultant in clinical or medical oncology, and may be given one of these forms of treatment or a combination of any of them. You may receive the adjuvant treatment at the same hospital at which your operation was done, or you may have to go to a cancer centre at another hospital.
Some time before your treatment starts, the oncologist will examine you and look at the results of your operation and of any investigations that have been done. You may need to have further investigations, such as a liver or bone scan, to determine whether the cancer has spread beyond your breast. The oncologist will then discuss the proposed treatment plan with you, and you will be able to ask questions.
Clinical trials
To be able to improve the treatment given to women with breast cancer, new drugs need to be tested, and currently used drugs and radiotherapy regimes need to be tried in different ways. Therefore, many women are asked to take part in clinical trials to compare a new treatment with an existing one.
If your doctor is involved in a trial of this sort, you may be asked if you would be willing to take part. The details of the trial will be explained to you, and you should make sure you fully understand what is entailed before you make a decision. You are under no obligation to agree to be involved, and if you refuse, the quality of the treatment you receive will not be affected in any way.
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