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Review Papers | Oncology Science | India | Volume 12 Issue 7, July 2023
Chemotherapeutic Drugs Used Across Various Stages of Breast Cancer: A Scoping Review
Komal Priya | Dr Ridhi Rehani | Anjana Aggarwal
Abstract: Background: Breast cancer develops when the cells in the breast begin to grow uncontrollably. These cancer cells have the ability to spread from breast lobules and milk ducts to various parts of the body through blood and lymph vessels, leading to metastasis. It has various stages i. e.0, I, II, III and IV which can be further re - classified as early, locally advanced and advanced based on the size of the tumor, spread of cancerous cells to lymph nodes and presence/absence of metastasis. Identification of the type of cancer cells (estrogen receptors positive, progesterone receptors positive, human epidermal factor 2 positive and triple - negative) help ascertain the most effective treatment pathways. Surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, hormone therapy, targeted therapy, and immunotherapy are some of the therapeutic options for breast cancer patients. Chemotherapy involves administering drugs to cancer cells to inhibit their growth. Through this scoping review, we aim to develop a better overview of all the chemotherapeutic drugs in use around the world at varying stages of breast cancer. Method: Thorough search was conducted on databases such as PubMed, Cochrane central and Google scholar. Apart from screening of the studies based on predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria, data extraction and assessment of methodological quality was carried out independently by two reviewers, using a standard checklist. Results: Through this scoping review, we have enlisted various chemotherapeutic drugs according to their usage in different stages of breast cancer. It includes a detailed analysis of the geographical settings of the included studies, the interventions used, and the endpoints used across the included studies. Discussion: Numerous research on chemotherapeutic drugs have been undertaken, conveying information on efficacy, chemo - resistance, toxicity, drug - drug interactions, adverse events, and the usage of one or a combination of drugs. However, data on an aggregated list of breast cancer chemo drugs is lacking and it is highly imperative to fill up the existing research gap. While the key findings delve into the pros and cons of various chemotherapeutic regimens, strict stage - based categorization of drugs still remains a challenge owing to the nuanced and ever - evolving essence of oncology. The consolidation accomplished in this study is nevertheless, expected to be of significant advantage for the expertise of clinicians and researchers in the field.
Keywords: Breast Cancer, Chemotherapeutic Drugs, Scoping Review, Treatment Stages, Global Analysis
Edition: Volume 12 Issue 7, July 2023,
Pages: 395 - 404