what is lady chemo treatment

The only women ages 80-89 treated with chemotherapy who had better survival rates compared to women who didn’t get chemotherapy were women who were treated with the chemotherapy medicines Adriamycin

(chemical name: doxorubicin

Doxorubicin

Doxorubicin is an anthracycline type of chemotherapy that is used alone or with other treatments/medications to treat several different types of cancer.

) and Cytoxan (chemical name: cyclophosphamide

Cyclophosphamide

Cyclophosphamide is used to treat various types of cancer.

).

Full Answer

What is a chemo treatment?

Chemotherapy (also called chemo) is a type of cancer treatment that uses drugs to kill cancer cells. ... Chemotherapy works by stopping or slowing the growth of cancer cells, which grow and divide quickly.

Should women over 80 get chemotherapy for breast cancer?

Women Older Than 80 Less Likely to Benefit From Chemotherapy. Chemotherapy often is used after surgery to remove early-stage breast cancer to reduce the risk of breast cancer coming back (recurrence). This type of chemotherapy -- called adjuvant chemotherapy -- aims to weaken and destroy any cancer cells that may be left behind after surgery.

Where can chemo treatments be given?

Chemotherapy treatments can be given: 1 In an outpatient chemotherapy unit 2 In a doctor's office 3 In the hospital 4 At home, such as when taking chemotherapy pills

What should I do if I have chemotherapy?

If your chemotherapy will cause hair loss, consider planning for a head covering. Make arrangements for help at home and at work. Most chemotherapy treatments are given in an outpatient clinic, which means most people are able to continue working and doing their usual activities during chemotherapy.

How long is chemo for HER2 positive?

Neoadjuvant therapy is typically administered for between 12 and 20 weeks, depending on the chosen regimen, and followed by surgery. When given as adjuvant chemotherapy following surgery, trastuzumab is given concurrently with chemotherapy, then continued for a total duration of 12 months.

At what stage of cancer is chemotherapy used?

Usually, chemotherapy may be used for all stages in most cancer types. Chemotherapy is a type of medicine or combination of medications that is used to treat or kill cancer cells. Adjuvant therapy: Chemotherapy may be used after surgery to reduce the risk of cancer recurrence (coming back).

How many chemo treatments are required for breast cancer?

You may receive chemo every week or every two, three or even four weeks. Cycles are usually two to three treatments long. Each cycle includes a rest period to allow your body to recover. For example, you may have the same treatment every Monday for three weeks.

How many times a week do you get chemo?

You can have chemotherapy once a week or for several days, then rest for several days or weeks. The breaks give the drugs time to do their job. Rest also gives your body time to heal so you can handle side effects like nausea, hair loss, or fatigue. Each set of doses is called a cycle.

Is chemotherapy 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.

Does chemo cause hair loss?

Chemotherapy may cause hair loss all over your body — not just on your scalp. Sometimes your eyelash, eyebrow, armpit, pubic and other body hair also falls out. Some chemotherapy drugs are more likely than others to cause hair loss, and different doses can cause anything from a mere thinning to complete baldness.

How many hours is chemo for breast cancer?

The length of time for chemotherapy regimens can range from 5 minutes to 8 or more hours. It all depends on the chemotherapy. Throughout the chemotherapy, your nurse will come in and check your vitals and make sure you aren't reacting to the medications.

How many days after chemo do you feel better?

Most people say it takes 6 to 12 months after they finish chemotherapy before they truly feel like themselves again.

Is surgery necessary after chemo?

The aim of chemotherapy after surgery or radiotherapy is to lower the risk of the cancer coming back in the future. This is called adjuvant treatment. The chemotherapy circulates throughout your body and kills off any cancer cells that have broken away from the main tumour before your operation.

What can I expect after my first chemo treatment?

The most commonly reported side effect after receiving chemotherapy is fatigue. 7 Give yourself time for extra rest and sleep in the days after a session. Tell your healthcare provider if your fatigue begins to affect your ability to function or complete basic tasks, like bathing.

What is life like after chemotherapy?

Life after cancer treatment can present its own challenges. You may have mixed feelings when treatment ends, and worry that every ache and pain means the cancer is coming back. Some people say that they feel pressure to return to “normal life”.

How long can you live on chemo?

For most cancers where palliative chemotherapy is used, this number ranges from 3-12 months. The longer the response, the longer you can expect to live.

Why is chemo used?

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: 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.

How does chemotherapy help with cancer?

To ease signs and symptoms. Chemotherapy may help relieve signs and symptoms of cancer by killing some of the cancer cells. Doctors call this palliative chemotherapy.

Why is chemo used for bone marrow transplant?

Chemotherapy is often used to prepare for a bone marrow transplant. Immune system disorders. Lower doses of chemotherapy drugs can help control an overactive immune system in certain diseases, such as lupus and rheumatoid arthritis.

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.

How to prepare for chemo?

Prepare for your first treatment. Ask your doctor or chemotherapy nurses how to prepare for chemotherapy. It may be helpful to arrive for your first chemotherapy treatment well rested. You might wish to eat a light meal beforehand in case your chemotherapy medications cause nausea.

What to ask your doctor about chemo?

Ask your doctor if you'll need time off work or help around your home after treatment. Ask your doctor for the details of your chemotherapy treatments so that you can make arrangements for work, children, pets or other commitments.

How long after chemo do side effects appear?

Chemotherapy drugs can also cause side effects that don't become evident until months or years after treatment. Late side effects vary depending on the chemotherapy drug but can include:

How can chemotherapy help with cancer?

Chemotherapy can be used to cure cancer, lessen the chance it will return , or stop or slow its growth. Ease cancer symptoms. Chemotherapy can be used to shrink tumors that are causing pain and other problems.

Where does chemo go?

The chemotherapy goes directly into the peritoneal cavity, which is the area in your body that contains organs such as your intestines, stomach, and liver. Intra-arterial (IA) The chemotherapy is injected directly into the artery that leads to the cancer. Topical.

How Will I Know If My Chemotherapy Is Working?

You will see your doctor often. During these visits, she will ask you how you feel, do a physical exam, and order medical tests and scans. Tests might include blood tests. Scans might include MRI, CT, or PET scans.

How long can a catheter be left in place for chemo?

This needle can be left in place for chemotherapy treatments that are given for longer than one day. Be sure to watch for signs of infection around your port.

What is the treatment for cancer called?

Chemotherapy (also called chemo) is a type of cancer treatment that uses drugs to kill cancer cells.

Where do you put a catheter in a chemo patient?

A catheter is a thin, soft tube. A doctor or nurse places one end of the catheter in a large vein, often in your chest area. The other end of the catheter stays outside your body. Most catheters stay in place until you have finished your chemotherapy treatments.

How long after chemotherapy can you ask for help?

Asking for help with meals and childcare on the day of and at least one day after chemotherapy

What is the best treatment for breast cancer?

Chemotherapy often is used after surgery to remove early-stage breast cancer to reduce the risk of breast cancer coming back (recurrence). This type of chemotherapy -- called adjuvant chemotherapy -- aims to weaken and destroy any cancer cells that may be left behind after surgery.

When was the study published on the effectiveness of chemotherapy?

The study was published in the August 2015 issue of the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. Read the abstract of “Comparative Effectiveness of Chemotherapy Regimens in Prolonging Survival for Two Large Population-Based Cohorts of Elderly Adults with Breast and Colon Cancer in 1992-2009.”

How much does chemotherapy reduce the risk of death?

Among the women diagnosed with breast cancer, chemotherapy after surgery reduced the risk of death from any cause by: 30% for women ages 65-69. 26% for women ages 70-74. 24% for women ages 75-79.

Does chemotherapy increase the chances of survival?

In the people diagnosed with colon cancer, chemotherapy increased the chances of survival in all age groups.

Does chemotherapy help with breast cancer?

While chemotherapy after breast cancer surgery usually increases survival , a study has found that women older than 80 diagnosed with early-stage, hormone-receptor-negative breast cancer don’t get survival benefits from chemotherapy.

What is chemo for lymphocytic leukemia?

Chemotherapy (chemo) uses anti-cancer drugs that are taken by mouth or injected into a vein or muscle to kill or control cancer cells. When given this way, these drugs enter the bloodstream and reach all parts of the body, so chemo is useful for cancers that tend to spread throughout the body, ...

How long does chemo last?

Chemo cycles generally last about 3 to 4 weeks. Chemo is seldom recommended for patients in poor health, but age itself should not keep anyone from getting chemo.

What is the name of the drug that is used to treat CLL?

Purine analogs: fludarabine (Fludara ® ), pentostatin (Nipent ® ), and cladribine (2-CdA, Leustatin ® ). Fludarabine is often one of the first drugs used against CLL. (It's given along with cyclophosphamide and rituximab. This combination may be called FCR.)

What drugs increase white blood cells?

Drugs known as growth factors (such as G-CSF/Neupogen, pegfilgrastim/Neulasta, and GM-CSF/sargramostim) are sometimes given to increase the white blood cell counts and help reduce the chance of infection, see Infections in People With Cancer. Tumor lysis syndrome is another possible side effect of certain types of chemo.

Can chemotherapy cause tumor lysis?

Tumor lysis syndrome is another possible side effect of certain types of chemo. It's most common in patients who had large numbers of leukemia cells in the body before treatment. (This may be called bulky disease.) It most often happens with the first cycle of chemo.

Does chemo cause low blood cell count?

These cells are also likely to be affected by chemo, which can lead to side effects. Chemotherapy side effects depend on the type and dose of drugs given and the length of time they are taken. Common side effects include: Low blood cell counts can cause:

Quick links

A person undergoing chemotherapy faces a range of challenges, both physically and mentally. A thoughtfully curated chemotherapy care package may help individuals cope with unpleasant side effects, improve their sense of well-being, and help occupy them during long hours of treatment.

Headcovers Comfort Cap

Headcovers offers a range of hats, scarves, and wigs for people with cancer.

Alra Mild Conditioning Shampoo

According to the manufacturer, this gentle cleanser and conditioner combination is suitable for cancer patients undergoing radiation therapy or chemotherapy.

Buddha Teas Ginger Root Tea Bags

Ginger can be an effective treatment for nausea and vomiting due to chemotherapy.

Bonds of London Sugar Free Sherbert Lemons

Hard candy, such as lemon drops or mints, may help remove the unpleasant metallic taste in the mouth from chemotherapy. However, it is important to note that sugar-free candy may cause gastrointestinal upset and diarrhea in some people.

CeraVe Hydrating Facial Cleanser

This soothing nonfoaming facial wash is free from fragrances, parabens, and soap. Therefore, it is suitable for dry or sensitive skin.

Jack Black Intense Therapy Lip Balm

This lip balm contains vitamin E to moisturize, while its SPF of 25 provides an extra layer of protection.

Can you pause chemo?

Unfortunately, life doesn’t get put on pause when you go through chemo, and patients still have to go through basic, everyday things like cooking dinner. As you can imagine, that can be exhausting, which is why a subscription to a food delivery service can be incredibly helpful.

Is chemo exhausting?

Cancer can be terrifying, exhausting, and isolating—and so can chemotherapy. So, if you have a loved one who is going through chemo, it’s understandable that you’d want to do everything you can to help them through the process. While simply being there is crucial, you may be searching for other ways to help, from running their errands ...

Can you download iTunes for chemo?

An iTunes gift card so they can download freely. Chemo sessions can be long and, while there’s often a TV available, “that only goes so far,” Dr. Saria says. He recommends getting a patient an iTunes gift card so they can pick out music, podcasts, or downloadable books to help them pass the time.

Can chemo cause a person to smell?

The unscented part is key. Chemotherapy can throw a person’s sense of scent out of whack, and even people who normally love fragrances can be repulsed by strong scents, she says. It can also make your skin super dry and sensitive, so fragrance may be irritating.

Why your decisions matter

In the past, doctors sometimes made decisions without talking with patients. Today, the situation is different. Your health care team wants to know your concerns and answer your questions. They also believe that you have the right to make your own decisions.

What to consider

Before making any treatment decisions, talk with your health care team about:

Your cancer treatment goals

Your cancer treatment goals depend on many factors. For example, the type of cancer and whether it has spread will factor into your goals.

If you and your family do not agree

Family members, friends, and caregivers might have different ideas about your treatment. They might want you to have more aggressive treatment. Or they might try to keep you from having certain treatments.

Cancer treatment options for older adults

You may have just one type of treatment or a combination of treatments. The main cancer treatments for people of all ages are:

Advanced cancer care

Advanced cancer is cancer that doctors cannot cure. It is also called end-stage cancer or terminal cancer. Even though your health care team cannot cure advanced cancer, they can treat it. And you can still have a good quality of life.

Questions to ask the health care team

After you learn about your treatment options and your general health, you might need more information. Consider asking your health care team the following:

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...

See more on mayoclinic.org

Why It's Done

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How You Prepare

What You Can Expect

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