Taxol is designed to kill undetected traces of cancer after a surgeon has removed all known tumors and patients have received first-line standard treatment. At present women in Canada are unable to access Taxol for use in this setting. Breast cancer is the leading cause of death among Canadian women between the ages of 35 and 55. One in nine women will develop breast cancer in her lifetime.
Adjuvant chemotherapy is treatment used very soon after surgery, primarily in early stage disease.
Adjuvant therapies, including chemotherapy, hormone and radiation therapy, are used either alone or in combination to combat the disease.