Huntington Hospital - Cancer Center

Don Monti Cancer Center

DON MONTI CANCER CENTER
Treatment Options - Chemotherapy

What is chemotherapy?

Chemotherapy is the use of anticancer drugs to treat cancerous cells. Chemotherapy has been used for many years and is one of the most common treatments for cancer. In most cases, chemotherapy works by interfering with the cancer cell's ability to grow or reproduce.

Different groups of drugs work in different ways to fight cancer cells. Chemotherapy may be used alone for some types of cancer or in combination with other treatments such as radiation or surgery. Often, a combination of chemotherapy drugs is used to fight a specific cancer. Certain chemotherapy drugs may be given in a specific order depending on the type of cancer it is being used to treat. There are more than 50 chemotherapy drugs that are commonly used.

HUNTINGTON HOSPITAL'S CANCER TREATMENT OPTIONS
	CHEMOTHERAPY
	BIOLOGICAL RESPONSE MODIFIERS
	RADIATION THERAPY
	SURGERY
	PHYSICIAL THERAPY/ REHABILITATION
	LYMPHEDEMA PROGRAM
	CENTER FOR PAIN MANAGEMENT

How is chemotherapy administered?

Chemotherapy is usually given in cycles: a treatment period followed by a recovery period, then another treatment, and so on. Most patients have chemotherapy in a hospital outpatient section or in a doctor’s office. In some cases, patients stay in the hospital during drug treatment. Chemotherapy can be given:

as a pill to swallow.
as an injection into the muscle or fat tissue.
intravenously (directly to the bloodstream; also called IV).
topically (applied to the skin)
directly into a body cavity

Side effects of chemotherapy

While chemotherapy can be quite effective in treating certain cancers, chemotherapy drugs reach all parts of the body, not just the cancer cells. Because of this, there may be many side effects during treatment. As each person's individual medical profile and diagnosis is different, so is his/her reaction to treatment. Side effects may be severe, mild, or absent and may include hair loss, low blood counts, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, mouth sores, and fatigue. Many of these side effects can be controlled with medicine, and they generally are short-term problems. Be sure to discuss with your cancer care team any/all possible side effects of treatment before the treatment begins. Being able to anticipate these side effects can help you and your caregivers prepare, and, in some cases prevent these symptoms from occurring.