Chemotherapy has been proven to effectively attack cancer cells, but it can cause serious side effects that can severely impact your quality of life.
You should weigh these side effects against the risk of going untreated when deciding if chemotherapy is right for you. 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. 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.
Chemotherapy is designed to kill cells that divide quickly. While cancer cells are the kind that divide quickly, other cells in your body do this, as well. Most side effects of chemotherapy subside when treatment is over.
Before beginning treatment, talk to your doctor about the possible risks and what symptoms you should be aware of. Your doctor and hospital staff will help you anticipate the potential problems associated with treatment. This will include examinations of your heart and blood tests to determine the health of your liver.
These tests can also help guide your doctor in deciding which types of chemotherapy to use in your treatment. Your doctor may also recommend that you visit your dentist before beginning treatment. This allows for easier access to your veins and is less painful. During each treatment, the IV will be inserted into your port. You and your doctor can work together to consider all variables and determine the best course of your treatment.
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.
Where you receive treatment depends on your chosen delivery method. Ask what signs and symptoms you should be aware of that may signal a problem. 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:. 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.
Your doctor can tell you in general how much the chemotherapy will affect your usual activities, but it's difficult to predict exactly how you'll feel. 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. 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. Have a friend or family member drive you to your first treatment.
Most people can drive themselves to and from chemotherapy sessions. But the first time you may find that the medications make you sleepy or cause other side effects that make driving difficult. Your doctor determines how often you'll receive chemotherapy treatments based on what drugs you'll receive, the characteristics of your cancer and how well your body recovers after each treatment.
Chemotherapy treatment schedules vary. Chemotherapy treatment can be continuous, or it may alternate between periods of treatment and periods of rest to let you recover.
Where you'll receive your chemotherapy treatments depends on your situation. Chemotherapy treatments can be given:. You'll meet with your cancer doctor oncologist regularly during chemotherapy treatment. Antimetabolites are types of chemotherapy treatments that are very similar to normal substances within the cell.
When the cells incorporate these substances into the cellular metabolism, they are unable to divide. Antimetabolites are cell-cycle specific. They attack cells at very specific phases in the cycle. Antimetabolites are classified according to the substances with which they interfere. Toposiomerase inhibitors are types of chemotherapy drugs that interfere with the action of topoisomerase enzymes topoisomerase I and II.
During the process of chemo treatments, topoisomerase enzymes control the manipulation of the structure of DNA necessary for replication. Beyond the aforementioned types of chemotherapy, many other types of chemo treatments exist, such as targeted therapy, immunotherapy, and hormone therapy.
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