What is chemotherapy and what does it do?
Chemotherapy (also called chemo) is a type of cancer treatment that uses drugs to kill cancer cells. On This Page How chemotherapy works against cancer Which types of cancer does chemotherapy treat How chemotherapy is used with other cancer treatments Chemotherapy can cause side effects How much chemotherapy costs
What to expect during chemotherapy treatment?
The word "chemotherapy" ("chemo") is often used when referring to medicines or drugs that treat cancer. But, not all drugs used to treat cancer work in the same way. Traditional or standard chemotherapy uses drugs that are cytotoxic, meaning they can kill tumor cells.
What are the pros and cons of chemotherapy?
Chemotherapy is a type of anti cancer drug treatment. These drugs work by killing cancer cells. They work throughout your body and are called a systemic treatment. Whether chemotherapy is a suitable treatment for you, and which drugs you might have, depends on: your type of cancer what the cancer cells look like under a microscope
How bad is chemo treatment?
Also called “ chemo ,” it’s a way to treat cancer that uses drugs to kill cancer cells. How does chemotherapy work? It targets cells that grow and divide quickly, as cancer cells do. Unlike...
What is chemotherapy and how is it done?
Overview. Chemotherapy is a drug treatment that uses powerful chemicals to kill fast-growing cells in your body. Chemotherapy is most often used to treat cancer, since cancer cells grow and multiply much more quickly than most cells in the body. Many different chemotherapy drugs are available.
What happens in chemotherapy treatment?
How does chemotherapy work? It targets cells that grow and divide quickly, as cancer cells do. Unlike radiation or surgery, which target specific areas, chemo can work throughout your body. But it can also affect some fast-growing healthy cells, like those of the skin, hair, intestines, and bone marrow.Feb 8, 2021
At what stage of cancer is chemotherapy used?
Systemic drug treatments, such as targeted therapy or chemotherapy, are common for stage 4 cancers. Often, a clinical trial may be an option, offering new treatments to help you fight stage 4 cancer.Feb 11, 2022
Is chemotherapy treatment painful?
Does chemotherapy hurt? IV chemotherapy should not cause any pain while being administered. If you experience pain, contact the nurse taking care of you to check your IV line. An exception would be if there is a leak and the drug gets into surrounding tissues.Dec 9, 2019
How long is chemo treatment?
Average length of chemotherapy One course of chemo treatment may last between 3 to 6 months. Typically, one course consists of several on-and-off cycles. One cycle usually lasts 2 to 6 weeks.Apr 13, 2021
What are the side effects of chemo?
What are common side effects of chemo?Fatigue.Hair loss.Easy bruising and bleeding.Infection.Anemia (low red blood cell counts)Nausea and vomiting.Appetite changes.Constipation.More items...•May 1, 2020
Does Stage 3 cancer require chemo?
In general, regimens for stage 3 cancers typically start with either surgery or treatment to shrink the tumor before surgery, such as chemotherapy, radiation, or a combination of both. Stage 3 breast cancer treatment: The first step is typically either chemotherapy or surgery.Mar 2, 2022
Can you recover Stage 4 cancer?
Stage 4 cancer usually can't be cured. In addition, because it will have spread throughout the body, it is unlikely it can be completely removed. The goal of treatment is to prolong survival and improve quality of life.Mar 5, 2022
Can cancer spread while on chemo?
While chemotherapy is one of the oldest and most successful ways of treating cancer, it doesn't always work. So, yes, cancer can spread during chemotherapy. Spreading could mean the tumor keeps growing, or that the original tumor shrinks, but cancer metastasizes, forming tumors in other areas of the body.Dec 7, 2021
What is the price of chemotherapy?
The average cost of Chemotherapy in India is INR Rs. 18,000. The maximum charge for Chemotherapy in India is up to INR Rs. 50,000.
Does chemotherapy shorten your life?
During the 3 decades, the proportion of survivors treated with chemotherapy alone increased (from 18% in 1970-1979 to 54% in 1990-1999), and the life expectancy gap in this chemotherapy-alone group decreased from 11.0 years (95% UI, 9.0-13.1 years) to 6.0 years (95% UI, 4.5-7.6 years).Mar 1, 2020
How quickly does chemo work?
Some people feel the effects of chemo right away, but for others, it takes a day or two.Feb 25, 2021
How is chemotherapy given?
Chemotherapy is most often given as an infusion into a vein (intravenously). The drugs can be given by inserting a tube with a needle into a vein in your arm or into a device in a vein in your chest.
Why is chemotherapy used?
To prepare you for other treatments. Chemotherapy can be used to shrink a tumor so that other treatments, such as radiation and surgery, are possible. Doctors call this neoadjuvant therapy. To ease signs and symptoms. Chemotherapy may help relieve signs and symptoms of cancer by killing some of the cancer cells.
What is the treatment for cancer?
Overview. Chemotherapy is a drug treatment that uses powerful chemicals to kill fast-growing cells in your body. Chemotherapy is most often used to treat cancer, since cancer cells grow and multiply much more quickly than most cells in the body. Many different chemotherapy drugs are available.
What is the purpose of chemo?
Chemotherapy is used to kill cancer cells in people with cancer. There are a variety of settings in which chemotherapy may be used in people with cancer: To cure the cancer without other treatments. Chemotherapy can be used as the primary or sole treatment for cancer. After other treatments, to kill hidden cancer cells.
Can chemotherapy drugs cause side effects?
Side effects of chemotherapy drugs can be significant. Each drug has different side effects, and not every drug causes every side effect. Ask your doctor about the side effects of the particular drugs you'll receive.
What is bone marrow transplant?
Diseases that affect the bone marrow and blood cells may be treated with a bone marrow transplant, also known as a stem cell transplant. Chemotherapy is often used to prepare for a bone marrow transplant. Immune system disorders.
Can chemo cause hair loss?
For instance, if your chemotherapy treatment will cause infertility, you may wish to consider your options for preserving your sperm or eggs for future use. If your chemotherapy will cause hair loss, consider planning for a head covering. Make arrangements for help at home and at work.
What is the purpose of chemotherapy?
Chemotherapy may be given with a curative intent or it may aim to prolong life or to palliate symptoms . Induction chemotherapy is the first line treatment of cancer with a chemotherapeutic drug. This type of chemotherapy is used for curative intent.
What is a chemo?
[ edit on Wikidata] Chemotherapy (often abbreviated to chemo and sometimes CTX or CTx) is a type of cancer treatment that uses one or more anti-cancer drugs ( chemotherapeutic agents) as part of a standardized chemotherapy regimen. Chemotherapy may be given with a curative intent ...
Why do cancer cells have resistance to chemotherapy?
Resistance is a major cause of treatment failure in chemotherapeutic drugs. There are a few possible causes of resistance in cancer, one of which is the presence of small pumps on the surface of cancer cells that actively move chemotherapy from inside the cell to the outside. Cancer cells produce high amounts of these pumps, known as p-glycoprotein, in order to protect themselves from chemotherapeutics. Research on p-glycoprotein and other such chemotherapy efflux pumps is currently ongoing. Medications to inhibit the function of p-glycoprotein are undergoing investigation, but due to toxicities and interactions with anti-cancer drugs their development has been difficult. Another mechanism of resistance is gene amplification, a process in which multiple copies of a gene are produced by cancer cells. This overcomes the effect of drugs that reduce the expression of genes involved in replication. With more copies of the gene, the drug can not prevent all expression of the gene and therefore the cell can restore its proliferative ability. Cancer cells can also cause defects in the cellular pathways of apoptosis (programmed cell death). As most chemotherapy drugs kill cancer cells in this manner, defective apoptosis allows survival of these cells, making them resistant. Many chemotherapy drugs also cause DNA damage, which can be repaired by enzymes in the cell that carry out DNA repair. Upregulation of these genes can overcome the DNA damage and prevent the induction of apoptosis. Mutations in genes that produce drug target proteins, such as tubulin, can occur which prevent the drugs from binding to the protein, leading to resistance to these types of drugs. Drugs used in chemotherapy can induce cell stress, which can kill a cancer cell; however, under certain conditions, cells stress can induce changes in gene expression that enables resistance to several types of drugs. In lung cancer, the transcription factor NFκB is thought to play a role in resistance to chemotherapy, via inflammatory pathways.
What is the treatment for cancer?
Treatment of cancer using drugs that inhibit cell division or kill cells. Chemotherapy. A woman being treated with docetaxel chemotherapy for breast cancer. Cold mittens and cold booties are placed on her hands and feet to reduce harm to her nails. Other names. chemo, CTX, CTx.
How long does it take for chemo to cause side effects?
Chemotherapy-related toxicities can occur acutely after administration, within hours or days, or chronically, from weeks to years .
When did the ASHP start regulating chemo?
In the 1970s, antineoplastic (chemotherapy) drugs were identified as hazardous, and the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) has since then introduced the concept of hazardous drugs after publishing a recommendation in 1983 regarding handling hazardous drugs. The adaptation of federal regulations came when the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) first released its guidelines in 1986 and then updated them in 1996, 1999, and, most recently, 2006.
How long does fatigue last after cancer treatment?
Fatigue may be a consequence of the cancer or its treatment, and can last for months to years after treatment. One physiological cause of fatigue is anemia, which can be caused by chemotherapy, surgery, radiotherapy, primary and metastatic disease or nutritional depletion.
What is chemo therapy?
What is chemotherapy? Chemotherapy is a type of anti cancer drug treatment. These drugs work by killing cancer cells. They work throughout your body and are called a systemic treatment. Whether chemotherapy is a suitable treatment for you, and which drugs you might have, depends on: your type of cancer. what the cancer cells look like ...
How is chemotherapy used?
How chemotherapy is used. You might have treatment with a single chemotherapy drug or a combination of drugs. The chemotherapy drugs you have depend on where in your body the cancer started (your type of cancer). This is because different drugs work on different types of cancer. So the drugs you need for a cancer that started in ...
What are the treatments for cancer?
radiotherapy. surgery. hormone therapy. targeted cancer drugs. immunotherapy. a combination of any of these treatments. You might also have high dose chemotherapy as part of a bone marrow or stem cell transplant. Find out more about other cancer treatments.
What is combined chemotherapy?
Doctors often treat cancer with 2 or more chemotherapy drugs. Sometimes they also combine chemotherapy drugs with other medicines, such as steroids, immun otherapy or targeted cancer drugs.
What is the difference between a generic and a brand name?
Generic names and brand names. Drugs have a generic name and they might also have one or more brand names. The generic name is the chemical name of the drug – for example, paracetamol. The brand or trade name is the name given to the drug by the company that makes it – such as Panadol or Calpol.
Can a drug have more than one brand name?
Drugs might be made by more than one company and so may have more than one brand name. For some drugs the brand or trade name is the most commonly used name. For other drugs the generic name is the most often used.
What is chemo therapy?
Chemotherapy ("Chemo") uses drugs to destroy cancer cells. Learn more about how it works, what to expect during treatment, common side effects, and other FAQs. Skip to main content . Check Your Symptoms . Find A Doctor .
What is the goal of chemo?
The goal of treatment: cure, control growth, or ease pain. The type of chemotherapy. The way your body responds to the treatment. You may have chemotherapy in “cycles,” which means a period of treatment and then a period of rest. For example, a 4-week cycle may be 1 week of treatment and then 3 weeks of rest.
How is chemotherapy delivered?
It may be delivered by a special machine that bombards parts of your body from the outside, or by putting radioactive material on, near, and even inside your body. Biological therapy:Living material in the form of bacteria, vaccines, or antibodiesare carefully introduced to kill cancer cells. Chemotherapy may be used to:
What is the treatment for cancer?
Sometimes, it treats cancer by itself, but more often it’s used in combination with: Surgery:A doctor removes cancerous tumors or tissue, or organs contaminated with cancerous cells. Radiation therapy: A doctor uses invisible radioactive particles to kill cancer cells.
How does chemo work?
Also called “chemo,” it’s a way to treat cancerthat uses drugsto kill cancercells. How does chemotherapy work? It targets cells that grow and divide quickly, as cancercells do. Unlike radiation or surgery, which target specific areas, chemo can work throughout your body.
Where is chemo injected?
Intrathecal(IT) chemotherapy:Medicine is injected into the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), which is found in the area surrounding the spinal cord and the brain. Intravenous (IV):The chemotherapy goes directly into a vein.
Can you feel tired after chemo?
It’s common to feel ill or very tiredafter chemotherapy. You can prepare for this by getting someone to drive you back and forth from treatment. You should also plan to rest on the day of and the day after treatment. During this time, it may help to get some help with meals and child care, if necessary.
What is chemotherapy used for?
After surgery or radiation therapy to help kill any remaining cancer cells in the body . Chemo used in this way is called adjuvant therapy. With other types of drugs to help kill cancer cells, such as targeted therapy drugs that act on certain targets of cancer cells or immunotherapy drugs that help the immune system fight cancer.
What is chemo medicine?
But to most people, the word chemotherapy (or "chemo") means drugs used for cancer treatment. It's important to know that not all medicines and drugs to treat cancer work the same way. It used to be that the only kind of drug that could treat cancer was traditional or standard chemo, but now there are a lot of different kinds ...
What are the factors that determine cancer?
Factors a cancer care team considers when recommending treatment options include: 1 The type and subtype of cancer 2 The stage of the cancer (how far it has spread) 3 Results of other tests on the tumor, such as biomarkers 4 The patient’s age 5 The patient’s overall health and current medications 6 Other serious health problems (such as heart, liver, or kidney diseases) 7 Types of cancer treatments given in the past
How often is chemo given?
Chemotherapy is commonly given at regular intervals called cycles. A cycle may be a dose of one or more drugs on one or more days , followed by several days or weeks without treatment. This gives normal cells time to recover from drug side effects. Sometimes, doses may be given a certain number of days in a row, or every other day for several days, followed by a period of rest. Some drugs work best when given continuously over a set number of days.
What is radiation therapy?
Surgery removes a tumor from a part of the body where cancer has been found, and radiation therapy is aimed at a certain area of the body to kill or damage cancer cells. Treatments like these are called local treatments because they affect one part of the body.
Does chemo cure cancer?
If possible, chemo is used to cure cancer, meaning that the cancer is destroyed – it goes away and doesn’t come back. Most doctors don’t use the word “cure” except as a possible or intended result of treatment.
What is the goal of chemo?
When the cancer is at an advanced stage, probably cannot be controlled, and has spread, the goal of giving chemo may be to improve the quality of life or help the person feel better. For instance, chemo may be used to help shrink a tumor that’s causing pain ...
Why is chemotherapy used for cancer?
Chemotherapy is also used to prepare you for other treatments. It could be used to shrink a tumor so it can be surgically removed , or to prepare you for radiation therapy. In the case of late-stage cancer, chemotherapy may help relieve pain. Besides treatment for cancer, chemotherapy may be used to prepare people with bone marrow diseases ...
What is chemo used for?
Besides treatment for cancer, chemotherapy may be used to prepare people with bone marrow diseases for a bone marrow stem cell treatment, and it may be used for immune system disorders.
What is the treatment for cancer called?
What is chemotherapy? Chemotherapy is an aggressive form of chemical drug therapy meant to destroy rapidly growing cells in the body. It’s usually used to treat cancer, as cancer cells grow and divide faster than other cells. A doctor who specializes in cancer treatment is known as an oncologist.
How to prepare for chemotherapy?
Prepare your house. Do laundry, stock up on groceries, and do other tasks you may be too weak to do after your first appointment .
Where is chemo delivered?
Chemotherapy can be delivered to a specific part of the body through localized treatment, such as directly into the abdomen, chest, central nervous system, or into the bladder through the urethra. Some types of chemotherapy can be taken by mouth through pills.
What is the best treatment for breast cancer?
reduce current symptoms. If you’ve undergone surgery to remove a cancerous tumor, such as a lumpectomy for breast cancer, your oncologist may recommend chemotherapy to ensure that any lingering cancer cells are killed, as well. Chemotherapy is also used to prepare you for other treatments.
How is chemo given?
Chemotherapy is typically given in pill form or directly into veins by injection or an IV. In addition to these two forms, chemotherapy may also be administered in several other ways.
Overview
- Chemotherapy is a drug treatment that uses powerful chemicals to kill fast-growing cells in your body. Chemotherapy is most often used to treat cancer, since cancer cells grow and multiply much more quickly than most cells in the body. Many different chemotherapy drugs are available. Chemotherapy drugs can be used alone or in combination to treat a wide variety of cancers. Tho…
Why It's Done
- Chemotherapy is used to kill cancer cells in people with cancer. There are a variety of settings in which chemotherapy may be used in people with cancer: 1. To cure the cancer without other treatments.Chemotherapy can be used as the primary or sole treatment for cancer. 2. After other treatments, to kill hidden cancer cells.Chemotherapy can be used after other treatments, such a…
Risks
- Side effects of chemotherapy drugs can be significant. Each drug has different side effects, and not every drug causes every side effect. Ask your doctor about the side effects of the particular drugs you'll receive.
How You Prepare
- How you prepare for chemotherapy depends on which drugs you'll receive and how they'll be administered. Your doctor will give you specific instructions to prepare for your chemotherapy treatments. You may need to: 1. Have a device surgically inserted before intravenous chemotherapy.If you'll be receiving your chemotherapy intravenously — into a vein — your docto…
What You Can Expect
- Determining which chemotherapy drugs you'll receive
Your doctor chooses which chemotherapy drugs you'll receive based on several factors, including: 1. Type of cancer 2. Stage of cancer 3. Overall health 4. Previous cancer treatments 5. Your goals and preferences Discuss your treatment options with your doctor. Together you can decide what… - How chemotherapy drugs are given
Chemotherapy drugs can be given in different ways, including: 1. Chemotherapy infusions.Chemotherapy is most often given as an infusion into a vein (intravenously). The drugs can be given by inserting a tube with a needle into a vein in your arm or into a device in a vein in …
Results
- You'll meet with your cancer doctor (oncologist) regularly during chemotherapy treatment. Your oncologist will ask about any side effects you're experiencing, since many can be controlled. Depending on your situation, you may also undergo scans and other tests to monitor your cancer during chemotherapy treatment. These tests can give your doctor an idea of how your cancer is …
Clinical Trials
- Explore Mayo Clinic studiesof tests and procedures to help prevent, detect, treat or manage conditions.
Overview
Chemotherapy (often abbreviated to chemo and sometimes CTX or CTx) is a type of cancer treatment that uses one or more anti-cancer drugs (chemotherapeutic agents) as part of a standardized chemotherapy regimen. Chemotherapy may be given with a curative intent (which almost always involves combinations of drugs), or it may aim to prolong life or to reduce symptoms (pa…
Treatment strategies
There are a number of strategies in the administration of chemotherapeutic drugs used today. Chemotherapy may be given with a curative intent or it may aim to prolong life or to palliate symptoms.
• Induction chemotherapy is the first line treatment of cancer with a chemotherapeutic drug. This type of chemotherapy is used for curative intent.
Adverse effects
Chemotherapeutic techniques have a range of side effects that depend on the type of medications used. The most common medications affect mainly the fast-dividing cells of the body, such as blood cells and the cells lining the mouth, stomach, and intestines. Chemotherapy-related toxicities can occur acutely after administration, within hours or days, or chronically, from weeks to years.
Limitations
Chemotherapy does not always work, and even when it is useful, it may not completely destroy the cancer. People frequently fail to understand its limitations. In one study of people who had been newly diagnosed with incurable, stage 4 cancer, more than two-thirds of people with lung cancer and more than four-fifths of people with colorectal cancer still believed that chemotherapy was likely to cure their cancer.
Resistance
Resistance is a major cause of treatment failure in chemotherapeutic drugs. There are a few possible causes of resistance in cancer, one of which is the presence of small pumps on the surface of cancer cells that actively move chemotherapy from inside the cell to the outside. Cancer cells produce high amounts of these pumps, known as p-glycoprotein, in order to protect themselves from chemotherapeutics. Research on p-glycoproteinand other such chemotherapy …
Cytotoxics and targeted therapies
Targeted therapiesare a relatively new class of cancer drugs that can overcome many of the issues seen with the use of cytotoxics. They are divided into two groups: small molecule and antibodies. The massive toxicity seen with the use of cytotoxics is due to the lack of cell specificity of the drugs. They will kill any rapidly dividing cell, tumor or normal. Targeted therapies are designed to affect cellular proteins or processes that are utilised by the cancer cells. This all…
Mechanism of action
Cancer is the uncontrolled growth of cells coupled with malignant behaviour: invasion and metastasis (among other features). It is caused by the interaction between genetic susceptibility and environmental factors. These factors lead to accumulations of genetic mutations in oncogenes (genes that control the growth rate of cells) and tumor suppressor genes(genes that help to prevent cancer), …
Other uses
Some chemotherapy drugs are used in diseases other than cancer, such as in autoimmune disorders, and noncancerous plasma cell dyscrasia. In some cases they are often used at lower doses, which means that the side effects are minimized, while in other cases doses similar to ones used to treat cancer are used. Methotrexate is used in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), psoriasis, ankylosing spondylitis and multiple sclerosis. The anti-inflammatory response see…