what is the main objective of chemotherapy in cancer treatment

What is the goal of cancer chemotherapy?

Chemotherapy (“chemo”) is a type of cancer treatment that uses powerful drugs to kill cancer cells by stopping or slowing their growth. It can be used both to treat cancer and to ease symptoms. Chemo can be given alone or with other treatments such as radiation and surgery.

What are the main targets of chemotherapy?

Traditional chemotherapy is cytotoxic to most cells, meaning it can damage normal, healthy cells in addition to damaging and killing cancer cells. Targeted drugs often work by blocking cancer cells from copying themselves. This means they can help stop a cancer cell from dividing and making new cancer cells.Jan 29, 2021

What is the importance of 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.

What is the purpose of cancer treatment?

The goals of cancer treatment include eradicating known tumors entirely, preventing the recurrence or spread of the primary cancer, and relieving symptoms if all reasonable curative approaches have been exhausted. Decisions concerning how to treat a particular cancer are based on many factors.

What defines chemotherapy?

(KEE-moh-THAYR-uh-pee) Treatment that uses drugs to stop the growth of cancer cells, either by killing the cells or by stopping them from dividing. Chemotherapy may be given by mouth, injection, or infusion, or on the skin, depending on the type and stage of the cancer being treated.

How is chemotherapy given?

The most common way that chemotherapy drugs are given is through a needle into a vein. This is called intravenous or IV chemotherapy. Chemotherapy can also be taken as a pill, capsule, or liquid by mouth, as an injection or shot, or as a cream that is put directly on your skin.

How effective is chemotherapy?

Chemotherapy is a powerful treatment that involves taking medications to damage cancerous cells. The goal is to prevent these cells from dividing and multiplying....Lung cancer.N-SC lung cancer stageTreatment choiceEarly stage (1 & 2)Late stage (3 & 4)Surgery plus chemo and/or radiotherapy16%7%Chemo alone1%18%2 more rows

What is chemotherapy and how does it work?

Chemotherapy circulates throughout your body in the bloodstream. So it can treat cancer cells almost anywhere in the body. This is known as systemic treatment. Chemotherapy kills cells that are in the process of splitting into 2 new cells.

When is chemotherapy recommended?

If cancer cells are found in the lymph nodes near the affected breast, doctors usually recommend chemotherapy. If the cancer has characteristics that make it more aggressive, such as being hormone receptor-negative or HER2-positive, doctors usually recommend chemotherapy.Feb 9, 2022

What are the four goals of treatment for cancer?

Goals of ther- apy include cure, prolongation of survival, improvement in qual- ity of life, palliation of symptoms, and prevention of complications. CONCLUSIONS Establishing the goals of therapy for a patient with cancer is an individualized process.

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 ...

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 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 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 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 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.

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.

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.

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 goal of chemo?

The goals of chemotherapy. The goals of chemotherapy depend on the type of cancer and how far it has spread. Sometimes, the goal of treatment is to get rid of all the cancer and keep it from coming back. If this is not possible, you might receive chemotherapy to delay or slow cancer growth. Delaying or slowing cancer growth with chemotherapy also ...

What is chemo injected into?

Chemotherapy into an artery. An artery is a blood vessel that carries blood from your heart to another part of your body. Sometimes chemotherapy is injected into an artery that goes directly to the cancer. This is called intra-arterial or IA chemotherapy. Chemotherapy into the peritoneum or abdomen.

What are the factors that determine the treatment of cancer?

The drugs, dose, and treatment schedule depend on many factors. These include: 1 The type of cancer 2 The tumor size, its location, and if or where it has spread. This is called the stage of cancer. 3 Your age and general health 4 Your body weight 5 How well you can cope with certain side effects 6 Any other medical conditions you have 7 Previous cancer treatments

What is the treatment for cancer called?

These include: Before surgery or radiation therapy to shrink tumors. This is called neoadjuvant chemotherapy. After surgery or radiation therapy to destroy any remaining cancer cells. This is called adjuvant chemotherapy. As the only treatment.

How long does chemo last?

Chemotherapy is often given for a specific time, such as 6 months or a year. Or you might receive chemotherapy for as long as it works. Side effects from many drugs are too severe to give treatment every day. Doctors usually give these drugs with breaks, so you have time to rest and recover before the next treatment.

What is the term for cancer that comes back after treatment?

For example, to treat cancers of the blood or lymphatic system, such as leukemia and lymphoma. For cancer that comes back after treatment, called recurrent cancer . For cancer that has spread to other parts of the body, called metastatic cancer.

How long does it take for chemo to heal?

This lets your healthy cells heal. For example, you might get a dose of chemotherapy on the first day and then have 3 weeks of recovery time before repeating the treatment.

What is the purpose of chemotherapy?

Chemotherapy is used for a variety of purposes: To cure a specific cancer; To control tumor growth when cure is not possible; To shrink tumors before surgery or radiation therapy; To relieve symptoms (such as pain ); and. To destroy microscopic cancer cells that may be present after the known tumor is removed by surgery (called adjuvant therapy).

What is chemo used for?

Sometimes referred to simply as "chemo", chemotherapy is used most often to describe drugs that kill cancer cells directly. These are sometimes referred to as "anti-cancer" drugs or "antineoplastics.". Other chemo drugs such as biologic response modifiers, hormone therapy, and monoclonal antibodies, which work in different ways to treat cancer, ...

When did chemotherapy start?

However, chemotherapy for the treatment of cancer began in the 1940s with the use of nitrogen mustard.

What is the most important goal of cancer treatment?

The most important aim of cancer treatment is to achieve cure and secondly to palliate (life prolongation and relief of sufferings) where cure is not possible due to advanced disease. Nowadays, 30% of all cancers are routinely cured. Treatment should achieve cure whenever possible and that the quality of life is acceptable.

What is the definition of quality of life?

Quality of Life. An operational definition of quality of life has been advanced by WHO to capture the three dimensions of health (1) . Health is not only the absence of infirmity and disease, but the state of physical, mental and social well being. Only the patient can make a truly valid assessment of quality of life.

Why is cancer treated?

Why it's done. The goal of cancer treatment is to achieve a cure for your cancer, allowing you to live a normal life span. This may or may not be possible, depending on your specific situation. If a cure isn't possible, your treatments may be used to shrink your cancer or slow the growth of your cancer to allow you to live symptom free ...

What is the most common cancer treatment?

Any cancer treatment can be used as a primary treatment, but the most common primary cancer treatment for the most common types of cancer is surgery. If your cancer is particularly sensitive to radiation therapy or chemotherapy, you may receive one of those therapies as your primary treatment. Adjuvant treatment.

How does the immune system fight cancer?

Immunotherapy. Immunotherapy , also known as biological therapy, uses your body's immune system to fight cancer. Cancer can survive unchecked in your body because your immune system doesn't recognize it as an intruder. Immunotherapy can help your immune system "see" the cancer and attack it. Hormone therapy.

Where does radiation come from?

Radiation treatment can come from a machine outside your body (external beam radiation), or it can be placed inside your body (brachytherapy). Bone marrow transplant. Your bone marrow is the material inside your bones that makes blood cells from blood stem cells.

What is adjuvant therapy?

Adjuvant treatment. The goal of adjuvant therapy is to kill any cancer cells that may remain after primary treatment in order to reduce the chance that the cancer will recur. Any cancer treatment can be used as an adjuvant therapy. Common adjuvant therapies include chemotherapy, radiation therapy and hormone therapy.

How does cryoablation work?

Cryoablation. This treatment kills cancer cells with cold. During cryoablation, a thin, wandlike needle (cryoprobe) is inserted through your skin and directly into the cancerous tumor. A gas is pumped into the cryoprobe in order to freeze the tissue. Then the tissue is allowed to thaw.

What is the goal of surgery?

Surgery. The goal of surgery is to remove the cancer or as much of the cancer as possible. Chemotherapy. Chemotherapy uses drugs to kill cancer cells. Radiation therapy. Radiation therapy uses high-powered energy beams, such as X-rays or protons, to kill cancer cells. Radiation treatment can come from a machine outside your body ...

What is the goal of cancer treatment?

The goal of cancer treatment - whether it's surgery, radiation or chemotherapy - is usually described as curative or palliative . Curative treatments are intended to get rid of the cancer. If the treatment is successful, the patient will be cured. Palliative treatments cannot cure the cancer. They are designed to either slow down ...

Why is it important to know your prognosis?

Knowing your prognosis can have several advantages. It can allow for more realistic decision-making, and more appropriate use of health care services.

What does it mean to have a good prognosis?

Having a good prognosis usually means that there's a good chance of being cured. Many patients, although not all, want to know their prognosis. But this is a very personal decision.

Can palliative care cure cancer?

Palliative treatments cannot cure the cancer. They are designed to either slow down the cancer (which can lead to a longer survival time), improve symptoms, or delay the onset of symptoms. It is important to know whether treatment is meant to be curative or palliative, because that plays a major role in decision-making.

Overview

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...

See more on mayoclinic.org

Risks

How You Prepare

What You Can Expect

Results

Clinical Trials