Chemotherapy Guide

Some types of cancer are cured by Chemotherapy treatment. Some general information is given here, about chemotherapy. Cancer refers to cancer, leukemia and lymphoma. Sometimes chemotherapy is used to treat non-cancerous conditions but often the doses are lower and the side effects may be reduced.

There are over 200 different types of cancer and over 50 chemotherapy drugs, which can be given in various ways. It is best to discuss the details of treatment with a specialist doctor, who will be familiar with particular situation and type of cancer. Chemotherapy is the use of anti-cancer (cytotoxic) drugs to destroy cancer cells (including leukemia and lymphoma). Combination chemotherapy is administration of some of the chemotherapy drugs together among the 50 different chemotherapy drugs. The type of chemotherapy treatment you are given depends on many things, but particularly: the type of cancer, where the cancer started in the body, what the cancer cells look like under the microscope and whether the cancer has spread to other parts of the body.

Chemotherapy may be used alone to treat some types of cancer. It may also be used with other types of treatment such as surgery, radiotherapy, hormonal therapy, biological therapies, or a combination of these.

Prevention of cancer cells dividing and reproducing themselves is done by Chemotherapy drugs. As the drugs are carried in the blood, they can reach cancer cells anywhere in the body. They are also taken up by some healthy cells. Healthy cells can repair the damage caused by chemotherapy, but cancer cells cannot and so they eventually die. Different chemotherapy drugs damage cancer cells in different ways. Unfortunately, as the chemotherapy drugs can also affect some of the healthy cells in the body, they can cause unpleasant side effects. However, damage to the healthy cells is usually temporary and most side effects will disappear once the treatment is over.

Healthy cells in certain parts of the body are especially sensitive to chemotherapy drugs; these parts of the body include: the bone marrow (which makes blood cells), the hair follicles, the lining of the mouth and the digestive system.

Chemotherapy is usually given as a series of sessions of treatment. Each session is followed by a rest period. The session of chemotherapy and the rest period is known as a cycle of treatment. A series of cycles makes up a course of treatment. Each session of chemotherapy destroys more of the cancer cells, and the rest period allows the normal cells and tissues to recover. Chemotherapy is likely to destroy all the cancer cells and cure the disease in some type of cancer. Chemotherapy may also be given after surgery to destroy any cancer cells that remain. Chemotherapy may be given to shrink a cancer before another treatment such as surgery.

Chemotherapy can be used before an operation to shrink a cancer that is too large to be removed easily during an operation. Chemotherapy can be given to remove small cancer cells visible after the operation. Sometimes chemotherapy is given at the same time as radiotherapy. This is known as chemo radiotherapy.

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