A doctor who specializes in cancer treatment is known as an oncologist. Chemotherapy is often used in combination with other therapies, such as surgery, radiation, or hormone therapy. The use of combination therapy depends on:. 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.
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. Your oncologist will ask about any side effects you're experiencing, since many can be controlled. Depending on your situation, you may also undergo scans and other tests to monitor your cancer during chemotherapy treatment. It drains into the cavity that surrounds the organs, not into the stomach or any of the other organs.
Chemotherapy is then infused directly into this cavity. The patent is encouraged to change positions from side to side and lying on the back to facilitate the movement of the medication. In some cases the medication is drained out after a few hours. In other instances it is left inside where it is gradually absorbed. This method allows the organs to be bathed in the medication, which is then slowly absorbed into the tumor site. The rationale for this type of chemotherapy is that the tumor will be exposed to higher concentrations of medications without exposing the rest of the body to the toxicity.
This type of treatment is somewhat controversial because even though the tumor concentrations of the medication are higher, the decrease in cancer has not been demonstrated. There are three ways to deliver intraperitoneal chemotherapy:. Intra-arterial drugs are given into the artery that is supplying the blood to the tumor. Angiography, a special x-ray that uses dye so that the blood vessels can be seen, is used to locate the arteries that supply blood to the tumor.
There are two ways of giving medications intra-arterially:. Intravesicular medications are given with the use of a urinary catheter directly into the bladder. Chemotherapy can be given into the pleural cavity the space between the lung and the lining of the lung. Intrapleural chemotherapy is used to control malignant pleural effusions. A malignant pleural effusion is an accumulation of cancerous fluid in the pleural space.
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