Scientists warn that chemotherapy could Trigger more aggressive tumors and spread cancer cells. This kind of therapy could shrink tumors but when the cells migrate to other parts of the human body, they are almost always deadly. According to The Telegraph, George Karagiannis from Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University, New York found out that the number of Cancer Cells in mice with breast cancer has increased in their body and in the lungs after undergoing chemotherapy.

The medication used in the treatment is thought to trigger a repair mechanism in the body.

However, this allows tumors to grow back stronger and more aggressive. In addition, the process of giving toxic medication to the body will also increase the number of doorways on the blood vessel which will allow cancer to spread.

Toxic drugs increase doorways in 20 patients

Dr. Karagiannis’ research has revealed that at least 20 patients have had an increased number of doorways after receiving two chemotherapy drugs. He suggests that health practitioners should be vigilant in monitoring if cancer cells are beginning to circulate. They also need to check if new doorways are emerging.

The process of checking could be done by obtaining a small amount of the tumor after a short series of the therapy.

Obviously, if the markers are increased, physicians could recommend discontinuing the treatment procedure. Instead, surgery could be done initially and followed by a post-operative chemo.

Prevalence of breast cancer in the United States

According to Breast Cancer.org, there is an estimate of 253,710 new cases of breast cancer in the United States.

Around 12 percent, or one in eight American women, will develop invasive breast cancer. However alarming the figures are, the incidence rates have already started to decrease since 2000. Researchers believed that the drop in the usage of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) has also lowered the cancer risk of women.

Since 1989, death rates from this condition have already started to decline.

Still, around 40,610 women in the United States are expected to die this year due to breast cancer. Next to skin, it the most common type of cancer among women. A woman has a higher risk if she has a first-degree family – mother, daughter, sister who has been diagnosed with the condition. African-American are at higher risk compared to Asian, Hispanic and native-American.