Difficulty swallowing

Some breast cancer treatments can cause difficulty swallowing, including radiation, the chemotherapy drug daunorubicin, and some drugs used when breast cancer has spread to the bones. It can cause a person to dry gag, feel like they have something stuck in their throat, and experience pain when swallowing their food.

To ease the symptoms, chop food into smaller pieces and chew thoroughly before swallowing; eat softer foods or choose soups, yogurts and smoothies over solid foods; sit upright when eating; and avoid spicy foods, alcohol, and very dry foods like crackers or chips.

Some breast cancer patients with low genetic risk may not need chemotherapy a study suggests.