Chemotherapy for cancer

What is chemotherapy?

Chemotherapy (also called chemo) uses drugs to kill cancer cells or prevent them from reproducing. Chemo is a systemic treatment – meaning it enters your bloodstream and travels throughout your entire body. That’s why it’s often used for cancers that have spread.

Today, nearly all chemotherapy is given as an outpatient treatment. You don’t have to stay in the hospital. It’s usually delivered through an IV, although some drugs are given orally (in pill form) so you can take them at home. Chemotherapy may also be given as a lotion to apply to your skin or as an injection under the skin or into a tumor.

How does chemotherapy work?

Chemotherapy drugs (agents) work by slowing or stopping the growth of cancer cells, which grow very quickly. They may be used to:

• Destroy cancer cells
• Make cancer less likely to return
• Slow down cancer’s growth
• Shrink tumors that cause pain or other problems

Chemotherapy side effects

Depending on the drug used, there can be various side effects of chemotherapy. However, one of the most common chemotherapy side effects – nausea – can be greatly reduced with anti-nausea medications.

One of the causes of chemo side effects is the fact that chemo drugs may damage other fast-growing cells in your body such as skin cells, hair cells and cells that form the lining of your mouth and your intestines.

Other chemotherapy side effects are:

• Anemia (low red blood cell counts)
• Appetite changes
• Constipation
• Easy bruising and bleeding
• Fatigue
• Hair loss
• Infection

Every person has different side effects. They may depend on:

• Dose and type of chemo medicines
• Type and stage of cancer
• Your overall health

Side effects have nothing to do with how well the chemotherapy is working. Be sure to let your health care team know about your side effects. Treating side effects is an important part of your treatment.

Chemo options

Sometimes chemo is combined with other cancer treatments, such as surgery or radiation therapy. In that case, the chemo may be given as an adjuvant treatment or neoadjuvant treatment:

• Adjuvant treatment is delivered after surgery to kill any cancer cells that may remain in your body. If your cancer is large or has spread to your lymph nodes, there could still be some cells left behind – even if your doctor can’t detect any cancer in your tissue. Chemotherapy or radiation therapy can help prevent the cancer from coming back.
• Neoadjuvant treatment is delivered before surgery to shrink the tumor. This can help improve your surgical results, and even prevent the tumor from recurring in that area.

Hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) treatment

We’re one of a few health care providers in the country that are using this innovative delivery system for chemo. Using HIPEC means the chemotherapy medication is delivered during a surgery. Learn more about HIPEC.