Treatment-Related Side Effects in Breast Cancer Survivors

Halle Moore, M.D., medical oncologist at the Cleveland Clinic, discusses the negative symptoms many breast cancer survivors face, and the treatments that these symptoms were associated with.

The main risk factor for many side effects, such as hot flashes, fatigue and neuropathy, was chemotherapy. Surprisingly, patients who received endocrine therapy did not report burdens such as pain and sleep problems, but they did have an increased rate of hot flashes and sexual complications. Finally, patients who got radiation saw no increase in side effects compared to the other groups.