Overview
Chemotherapy is a way to treat cancer that uses strong drugs to kill or slow down the growth of cancer cells that are dividing quickly. You can give it by itself or with surgery, radiation therapy, or immunotherapy. Chemotherapy drugs can be given through an IV, by mouth, or sometimes by injection into certain body cavities. Chemotherapy works by stopping cancer cells from growing and dividing more quickly than most normal cells. But some healthy cells may also be affected, leading to side effects. Chemotherapy can be used to cure cancer, shrink tumours before surgery, get rid of any remaining cancer cells after treatment, or ease symptoms in people with advanced cancer.
Why It's Done
Chemotherapy is done to kill cancer cells, stop cancer from spreading, or make tumours smaller. It can be used before surgery (neoadjuvant therapy), after surgery (adjuvant therapy), or as the main treatment when surgery isn't an option. In the later stages of cancer, chemotherapy can help slow the disease's progress and make life better by lowering the symptoms caused by tumours.
What to Expect
Before starting chemotherapy, patients undergo blood tests, imaging studies, and a comprehensive health checkup to determine the best drug combination and dose. There are planned cycles of treatment, with breaks between sessions. Most of the time, people get their chemotherapy drugs through an IV line in a hospital or outpatient clinic. Some patients may be able to take pills at home. Depending on the regimen, each session could last anywhere from 30 minutes to several hours. Patients are observed for side effects like tiredness, nausea, hair loss, or a weaker immune system after treatment. Doctors often give people supportive medications to help with pain. Regular follow-up appointments keep an eye on how the therapy is working and make changes to the treatment as needed.
Recovery & Outlook
How long it takes to recover depends on the type of chemotherapy and how well each person can handle it. Many side effects go away on their own and can be managed with extra care. When carefully watched and used with other treatments, chemotherapy can greatly increase survival rates or slow the growth of cancer.