There are many different ways to treat cancer. The best mode of treatment depends on the type of cancer, the stage it is diagnosed at, the patient’s overall health, and other factors. In the case of inoperable tumors, chemotherapy is often the best type of treatment. Chemotherapy is a systemic treatment that is used to treat cancer that affects almost every part of the body.

What is chemotherapy?
Chemotherapy is an aggressive form of cancer therapy. It involves administering medication that will travel through the patient’s bloodstream and destroy the cancerous cells. This type of treatment may be used on its own or in combination with surgery, radiation therapy, hormone therapy, or any other form of cancer treatment based on:

  • The patient’s overall health
  • Type of cancer
  • The stage at which cancer is diagnosed
  • Any previous cancer treatment
  • Personal treatment preferences

What are the side effects of chemotherapy?
Chemotherapy can have quite serious side effects and impact the patient’s quality of life.

  • Dry mouth and sores
  • Fever
  • Fatigue
  • Nausea
  • Weight loss and a loss of appetite
  • Infections
  • Hair loss
  • Memory and concentration problems
  • Insomnia

It may also cause permanent damage to the heart, kidneys, lungs, reproductive organs, and nerves.

When is chemotherapy used?
Over half of the patients diagnosed with cancer are treated with chemotherapy. A combination of chemotherapy and surgery may be used to treat cancer of the lung, breast, colon, and pancreas. Chemotherapy may also be used along with radiation therapy to treat lymphoma or cancer of the white blood cells. In some forms of cancer like skin cancer, chemotherapy may not be very useful.

If this form of treatment is used before surgery or radiation therapy, it is known as neo-adjuvant chemotherapy and if it is used after surgery or radiotherapy, it is known as adjuvant chemotherapy.

Chemotherapy may also be used to treat patients with advanced stages of cancer. In such cases, it may not help cure the condition, but it can improve the patient’s quality of life.

Why is chemotherapy used?
Chemotherapy has multi-fold aims.

  • Reducing the number of cancer cells
  • Reducing the chance that the spread of cancer to other body parts
  • Shrinking the size of the tumor so that it can be surgically removed
  • Reducing the symptoms associated with cancer like pain

How is chemotherapy administered?
Chemotherapy medication may be administered orally in the form of a pill or injected intravenously through an injection or an intravenous therapy (IV). In some cases, a port may be needed so that the patient does not need to be injected multiple times. Chemotherapy may also be administered directly into the tumor. If the patient is to undergo surgery to remove the tumor, a slow-dissolving disc may be implanted to release the medication. In some cases of skin cancer, chemotherapy may be administered in the form of topical creams.

A chemotherapy schedule is usually customized to fit the patient’s needs, requirements, and preferences. This may be changed by the doctor depending on how cancer responds to the treatment.