According to the National Cancer Institute, breast cancer is a disease in which malignant cells grow in certain tissues of the breast. Inside the breasts are lobes and ducts. Milk is produced in the lobes, and the ducts are small tubes that carry the milk from the lobe to the nipple. When the cancer cells originate in the ducts, you have a type of breast cancer called ductal carcinoma, which is the most frequently occurring type of breast cancer. If the cancer cells originate in the lobes, you have lobular carcinoma.
5-Fluorouracil-Epirubicin-Cyclophosphamide (FEC Chemotherapy)
According to the Macmillan Cancer Support website, FEC is a breast cancer chemotherapy treatment that combines the cancer drugs 5-fluorouracil, epirubicin, and cyclophosphamide. You will receive this chemotherapy regimen on an outpatient basis via an intravenous line in your hand or arm. Before you get the cancer drugs, you will be given one or more anti-nausea medications either orally or through your intravenous line. The chemotherapy then begins with the infusion of a red solution of epirubicin in salt water followed by intravenous fluorouracil, and then cyclophosphamide, either intravenously or as an oral tablet. If you are on schedule "A" of the FEC regimen, you will get all three drugs intravenously on the first day, and then you will have a three-week break from treatment. At the end of the break you will have completed one cycle of treatment, and it takes 4 to 6 cycles over 3 to 4 months to complete the course of therapy. Schedule "B" involves intravenous epirubicin and 5-fluorouracil along with oral cyclophosphamide. Side effects of the FEC regimen may include susceptibility to infection, anemia, fatigue, hair loss, taste changes, bladder irritation and diarrhea.
Doxorubicin (Adriamycin) and Cyclophosphamide (AC Chemotherapy)
The AC chemotherapy regimen is a treatment for breast cancer that involves the drugs doxorubicin and cyclophosphamide, according to the Macmillan Cancer Support website. You will receive this therapy on an outpatient basis from an intravenous drip line that your healthcare provider will put into your hand or arm. At the start of treatment, anti-nausea medication is administered, and then doxorubicin is injected into your intravenous drip. When the doxorubicin drip is complete, you will get an injection of cyclophosphamide. The process will take about 1 hour, and then you will return home and take a break from treatment for three weeks. You will get 4 to 6 cycles of treatment over 3 to 4 months. Side effects include susceptibility to infection, bruising or bleeding, anemia, fatigue, hair loss, tastes changes, bladder irritation and diarrhea.
Paclitaxel (Taxol)
According to the Drugs.com website, paclitaxel is a prescription medication for the treatment of breast cancer. Your healthcare provider will administer this drug by intravenous infusion in a hospital or clinic. It is necessary to do the infusion slowly over a 24-hour period, and before you receive paclitaxel, you may be given medication that will help guard against a possible allergic reaction to it. The treatments will occur every 3 weeks, and while you are undergoing the chemotherapy regimen, your blood cell counts will be checked regularly. Serious side effects may include slow heart rate, seizure, easy bruising or bleeding, and increased blood pressure accompanied by blurred vision, chest pain and shortness of breath.
