While side effects can be unpleasant, they must be weighed against the need to kill the cancer cells. Many side effects go away fairly quickly, but some might take months or even years to go away completely.
These are called late effects. Sometimes the side effects can last a lifetime, such as when chemo causes long-term damage to the heart, lungs, kidneys, or reproductive organs. Certain types of chemo sometimes cause delayed effects, such as a second cancer that may show up many years later. People often become discouraged about how long their treatment lasts or the side effects they have. If you feel this way, talk to your cancer care team. You may be able to change your medicine or treatment schedule.
The peritoneum covers the surface of the inside of the abdomen and surrounds the intestines, liver, and stomach. Ovarian cancer is one type of cancer that frequently spreads to the peritoneum. Topical chemotherapy. You can take some types of chemotherapy in a cream you put on your skin.
You get your medication at the pharmacy and take it at home. The traditional drugs used for chemotherapy are an important part of treatment for many cancers. The drugs affect both cancer cells and healthy cells. But scientists have designed newer drugs that work more specifically to treat cancer. These treatments cause different side effects. Doctors may use these newer cancer drugs as the only drug treatment. But they are often added to traditional chemotherapy.
These types of treatment include:. Hormonal therapy. These treatments change the amount of hormones in your body. Hormones are chemicals your body makes naturally. They help control the activity of certain cells or organs. Doctors use hormonal therapy because hormone levels control several types of cancers.
These include some breast and prostate cancers. Targeted therapy. These treatments target and disable genes or proteins found in cancer cells that the cancer cells need to grow. This type of treatment helps your body's natural defenses fight the cancer.
Immunotherapy is now an important part of treatment for several types of cancer and will play an increasingly important role in treatment in the future. These printable PDFs provide an introduction to chemotherapy, answers to common questions, terms to know, and questions to ask the doctor.
Understanding Chemotherapy Approved by the Cancer. Different types of chemotherapy Treatment with these powerful drugs is called standard chemotherapy, traditional chemotherapy, or cytotoxic chemotherapy. How does chemotherapy treat cancer? Doctors use chemotherapy in different ways at different times. Overview Chemotherapy is a drug treatment that uses powerful chemicals to kill fast-growing cells in your body.
Request an Appointment at Mayo Clinic. Share on: Facebook Twitter. Show references Chemotherapy and you: Support for people with cancer. National Cancer Institute. Accessed Oct. Niederhuber JE, et al.
Cancer pharmacology. In: Abeloff's Clinical Oncology. Elsevier; Accessed Sept. What to expect when having chemotherapy. Cyclophosphamide Cytoxan.
American College of Rheumatology. Warner KJ. Allscripts EPSi. Ask your team what type of caregiving at home you may need during and after treatment. Get help with finances. Cancer treatment can be costly. Before chemotherapy starts, talk with your team about the financial considerations of your treatment, including specific insurance coverage. You may want to contact organizations that can provide financial support. This could be important if your health insurance does not cover the whole cost of treatment.
Get help at work. As you learn about your treatment schedule and side effects, you may be concerned about how this could affect your work schedule. Talk with your employer about possible adjustments to your work schedule or other arrangements during treatment and your recovery.
There are different ways you can receive chemotherapy. 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. Learn more about the different kinds of chemotherapy. During your first IV chemotherapy appointment, you should bring a friend or family member.
They can support you and help you remember information. Sometimes you will be given medication before your chemotherapy treatment that can make you tired, so you may need someone who can drive you home. You may also bring items that make your treatment time easier. For instance, considering bringing your phone, a tablet, books, or a blanket. Some people receive chemotherapy through a port. Instead of putting the IV directly into your arm, the catheter will go into a round metal or plastic disk.
With a port, your nurse does not need to find a vein to put the IV in for each treatment. If you need a port, you will need a minor surgery before your first chemotherapy appointment to put the port in. Learn more about catheters and ports. The length of your treatment session will depend on many factors. Some chemotherapy treatments take minutes or hours.
Others are given over several days or weeks. This is called continuous infusion chemotherapy. You do not need to stay at the hospital or clinic for continuous infusion. Instead, drugs are delivered through a small pump you wear or carry.
To get the full benefit of chemotherapy, it is important to follow the schedule of treatments recommended by your doctor and manage other medications you're taking. After your treatment session ends, the nurse or another health care team member will take out your IV.
If you have a port, it will stay in until you finish all of your treatments. The nurse will check your blood pressure, pulse, breathing, and temperature again. Your oncologist or nurse will talk with you about what to expect with side effects. They will give you medication, tell you how to manage common side effects, and offer information such as:.
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