Abstract
The benefits of adjuvant chemotherapy for early stage breast cancer must be considered in light of the potential risks and anticipated side effects. When considering a course of adjuvant chemotherapy for a patient, one should not only consider acute side effects of treatment, but should understand the long-term risks of therapy. Sustained or long-term effects of adjuvant chemotherapy usually have either a late onset or a sustained impact--often lasting for many years. In the case of some of the rare long-term complications, many years may elapse before any symptoms develop. This review details sustained and long-term complications of adjuvant chemotherapy including information about risk factors, etiology, and incidence rates for specific complications. Interventions to ameliorate long-term complications are also addressed.
MeSH terms
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Adult
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Aged
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Antineoplastic Agents, Hormonal / adverse effects*
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Antineoplastic Agents, Hormonal / therapeutic use
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Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / adverse effects*
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Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / therapeutic use
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Breast Neoplasms / drug therapy*
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Breast Neoplasms / mortality
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Breast Neoplasms / pathology*
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Breast Neoplasms / surgery
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Cardiovascular Diseases / chemically induced
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Cardiovascular Diseases / epidemiology
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Chemotherapy, Adjuvant
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Cognition Disorders / chemically induced
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Cognition Disorders / epidemiology
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Dose-Response Relationship, Drug
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Drug Administration Schedule
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Female
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Humans
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Mastectomy, Segmental / methods
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Middle Aged
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Neoplasm Staging
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Peripheral Nervous System Diseases / chemically induced
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Peripheral Nervous System Diseases / epidemiology
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Prognosis
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Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic
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Risk Assessment
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Survival Analysis
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Time Factors
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Treatment Outcome
Substances
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Antineoplastic Agents, Hormonal