Patient education: Chemotherapy (The Basics)

What is chemotherapy? — Chemotherapy is the medical term for medicines that kill cancer cells or stop them from growing. Chemotherapy is often called "chemo" for short.

Chemo can be used alone, or along with surgery, radiation, and other treatments for cancer. Chemo can be given in different ways. These include by mouth, by injection, or through an IV (a thin tube that goes into a vein.) It might be given daily, weekly, or monthly.

Your doctor will choose the type of chemo you need based on:

●The type of cancer you have and where it is

●Your overall health

●Other cancer treatments you might get

●Your preferences and goals

There are lots of different chemo medicines. Depending on the situation, they can be given alone or in combination.

Why do I need chemo? — Chemo is 1 way to treat cancer. Cancer cells grow faster than other cells in your body. Chemo targets these cells.

Chemo can be given to:

●Kill cancer cells

●Keep the cancer from spreading to other parts of your body

●Slow cancer growth

●Shrink the tumor prior to other treatments like radiation and surgery

●Help with pain

●Get you ready for a transplant

How often do I need chemo? — Chemo is given on a schedule. Some types of chemo are given daily, and others are given weekly or monthly.

A "cycle" of chemo is the time it takes to get 1 course of treatment and then let your body recover. For example, a person might get chemo on 1 day, then no chemo for several weeks while they recover from the side effects. Then, this cycle repeats.

Do I need to be in the hospital for chemo? — It depends. Sometimes, people stay in the hospital for chemo. Other times, the doctor gives the first dose of chemo while you are staying in the hospital. Then, you have further doses or treatments in a clinic or doctor's office.

Most often, people get chemo as an "outpatient" in a clinic or doctor's office. But if you are very sick or having a lot of side effects, you might need to be in the hospital.

What happens before I start chemo? — You will meet with a team of doctors and nurses to plan your chemo.

●Your doctor will ask you about your history. Talk to them about:

•All of the medicines you are taking. Include all prescription and over-the-counter medicines, and herbal supplements. Tell the doctor about any medicine allergies you have. Bring a list of medicines (including supplements) you take with you.

•Any allergies you have to latex, tape, or solutions that go on the skin (like iodine or alcohol)

•If you are pregnant or think that you might be pregnant. Some types of chemo can harm a developing baby.

•Whether the chemo you will be taking might affect your fertility. (Fertility is the ability to get pregnant or get someone pregnant.)

●If your chemo is being given to you through an IV, your doctor might suggest placing a device like a central line catheter, port, or pump. This can make getting chemo easier since you will not need an IV every time.

●Your doctor might ask you to see your dentist to have your teeth cleaned before starting chemo. They can also check your teeth and gums for any infections or other problems that need fixing.

●Your doctor will talk to you about all of the side effects that can happen after your treatment. They will also tell you when to call for advice or seek care if you have side effects.

●You might want to have someone to bring you home after each treatment, at least until you see how chemo affects you.

How is chemo given? — Chemo can be given in a few ways. This will depend on the medicine you are getting and the type of cancer you have.

Chemo can be given:

●Through an IV

●As a shot into a muscle or under your skin

●As a pill, capsule, or liquid you swallow

●As a cream you rub on your skin

●Through a needle into the fluid around your spine

●Through a tube into your abdominal cavity

●Through a tube into your bladder

Most of the time, chemo is given by mouth or by an IV.

What are the side effects of chemo? — Chemo affects rapidly growing cancer cells. But it can also affect some of the body's normal cells. This causes side effects.

Depending on your treatment, your doctor will tell you the side effects that you are likely to get. How the chemo affects you will depend on the:

●Type of cancer being treated

●Chemo medicine being used

●Dose, and how the medicine is given

●Number of treatments, and the treatment schedule

There are often medicines or other care that can help you manage your side effects. Talk with your doctor or nurse about how to manage your side effects.

Side effects that can happen after chemo include:

●Feeling tired

●Hair loss

●Sore throat, or sores in the mouth

●Dry, itchy, red, or darkened skin

●Skin rashes

●Nausea and vomiting

●Numbness and tingling in the hands or feet

●Not feeling hungry or losing weight

●Easy bruising or bleeding, often from the gums

●Higher risk of infection

●Diarrhea or constipation

●Pain in the muscles or joints

Not everyone will get all or even most of these side effects.

Other side effects can happen months or years after treatment. These can include:

●Trouble getting pregnant

●Heart, bone, or nerve problems

●Other types of cancers, although these are rare

What else should I do? — When you have chemo, it's important to:

●Follow all of your doctor's instructions about treatment and visits.

●Let your doctor or nurse know about any side effects or problems you have during treatment or if your health changes.

●Take care of yourself by eating well, getting enough sleep, and getting physical activity when you can. To keep your energy up, try to eat foods and drinks with a lot of protein and calories.

More on this topic

Patient education: Chemotherapy – Discharge instructions (The Basics)
Patient education: Hazardous medicine safety at home (The Basics)
Patient education: Nausea and vomiting with cancer treatment (The Basics)
Patient education: When your cancer treatment makes you tired (The Basics)
Patient education: Mouth sores from cancer treatment (The Basics)
Patient education: Hair loss from cancer treatment (The Basics)
Patient education: Managing pain when you have cancer (The Basics)
Patient education: Managing loss of appetite and weight loss with cancer (The Basics)
Patient education: Neutropenia and fever in people being treated for cancer (The Basics)
Patient education: Coping with high drug prices (The Basics)

Patient education: Coping with high prescription drug prices in the United States (Beyond the Basics)