What is Chemotherapy and how does it work?
Chemotherapy is treatment of disease by chemicals that kills cells, specifically those of microorganisms or cancer. Chemotherapy works by stopping or slowing the growth of cancer cells, which divide and grow quickly.
What does Chemotherapy do?
Depending on your type of cancer and how advanced it is, chemotherapy can:
- Cure cancer – the ultimate goal. When chemotherapy destroys cancer cells to the point that your doctor can no longer detect them in your body and they will not grow back.
- Control cancer – when chemotherapy keeps cancer from spreading, slows its growth, or destroys cancer cell that have spread to other parts of your body.
- Ease cancer symptoms – (also referred to as palliative care) – when chemotherapy shrinks tumors that are causing pain or pressure.
How is Chemotherapy used?
Sometimes, chemotherapy is used as the only cancer treatment. But more often, you will get chemotherapy along with surgery, radiation therapy, or biological therapy. Chemotherapy can:
- Make a tumor smaller before surgery or radiation therapy. This is called neo-adjuvant chemotherapy.
- Destroy cancer cells that may remain after surgery or radiation therapy. This is called adjuvant chemotherapy.
- Help radiation therapy and biological therapy work better.
- Destroy cancer cells that have come back (recurrent cancer).
How does my doctor decide which chemotherapy drugs to use?
The choice depends on:
- The type of cancer you have. Some types of chemotherapy drugs are used for many types of cancer. Other drugs are used for one or two types of cancer.
- Whether you have had chemotherapy before
- Whether you have other health problems, such as diabetes or heart disease.
How often will I receive chemotherapy?
Treatment schedules for chemotherapy vary widely. How often and how long you get chemotherapy depends on:
- Your type of cancer and how advanced it is
- The goals of treatment (whether chemotherapy is used to cure cancer, control its growth, or ease the symptoms)
- How your body reacts to chemotherapy
You may receive chemotherapy in cycles over a period of time.
How is chemotherapy given?
Chemotherapy can be given in many ways.
- Injection. The chemotherapy is given by a shot in a muscle in your arm, thigh or hip or right under the skin in the fatty part of your arm, leg or abdomen.
- Intra-arterial (IA). The chemotherapy goes directly into the artery that is feeding the cancer.
- Intraperitoneal (IP). The chemotherapy goes directly into the peritoneal cavity (the area that contains organs such as your intestines, stomach, liver, and ovaries.
- Intravenous (IV). The chemotherapy goes directly into a vein.
- Topically. The chemotherapy comes in a cream that you run on your skin.
How will I feel during chemotherapy?
Chemotherapy affects people in different ways. How you feel depends on how healthy you are before treatment, your type of cancer, how advanced it is, the kind of chemotherapy that you are getting, and the dose. Doctors and nurses cannot know for certain how you will feel during chemotherapy. The most common side effect is fatigue. You can prepare for fatigue by:
- Asking someone to drive you to and from chemotherapy
- Planning time to rest on the day of and the day after chemotherapy
How will I know if my chemotherapy is working?
Your doctor will give you physical exams and medical tests (such as blood tests and x-rays). Your physician will also ask you how you feel.
You cannot tell if chemotherapy is working based on the side effects that you experience. Some people think that the severe side effects mean the chemotherapy is working well, or if they have no side effects, the chemotherapy is not working. The truth is that side effects have nothing to do with how well chemotherapy is fighting your cancer.
For more detailed information on chemotherapy, visit:
www.cancer.gov
www.chemotherapy.com
www.medicineNet.com
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