I was supposed to see the oncologist tomorrow for a "check up" since it will be 2 weeks since the first round of chemo. But since I need to be in Springfield, and I'm feeling fine, I talked him into seeing me on Friday instead. Regular check-ins with the oncologist are important due to the type of chemo I'm having, which is called adjuvant chemotherapy. Adjuvant chemotherapy is the systemic therapy given to patients with no evidence of cancer after surgery. While surgery is used to remove all of the cancer that can be seen, adjuvant therapy is used to kill any cancer cells that may have been left behind that can't be seen. Adjuvant therapy after mastectomy reduces the risk of breast cancer coming back.
Even in the early stages of the disease, cancer cells may break away from the primary breast tumor and spread through the bloodstream. These cells don't cause symptoms, they don't show up on imaging tests, and they can't be felt during a physical exam. But if they are allowed to grow, they can establish new tumors in other places in the body. The goal of adjuvant chemotherapy is to kill undetected cells that have traveled from the breast. It is a difficult treatment to understand. As one patient said: " You are suggesting that I have treatment which will make me temporarily unwell, to treat cancer that you can't find, and can't be sure you have eliminated even when treatment is finished". That is what adjuvant treatment is about. It is similar to life insurance. When you pay your premiums to the insurance company, you are recognizing a potential risk to your life that may or may not happen (car crash, sickness, earthquake, hurricane, etc.).
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