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Chemotherapy
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Chemotherapy is a cancer treatment that uses drugs to kill cancer cells. It is also popularly known as chemo for short. Chemotherapy may be given alone or in conjunction with surgery or radiation therapy to treat most types of cancer.
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Chemo kills cells that divide rapidly. Rapid cell division is a main property of cancer cells. However, chemotherapy can also kill other types of cells that divide rapidly, including cells in hair follicles, bone marrow and the digestive tract, leading to some common side effects of chemo: hair loss (alopecia), a reduction in red and white blood cells and blood platelets (myelosuppression) that can cause anemia and a risk of infection, and inflammation of the lining of the mouth and digestive tract (mucositis) that can cause ulceration in the mouth, vomiting and diarrhea.
Chemotherapy may be given to cure cancer, prolong the patient’s life or lessen symptoms. Many cancer patients receive combination chemotherapy, which involves treating patients with a number of drugs at the same time. Combination chemotherapy is used because some cancer drugs are more effective when combined with other drugs.
Cancer patients may be given chemotherapy before surgery or radiation therapy to shrink the primary tumor — a therapy known as neo-adjuvant therapy. Patients may also be given chemotherapy after surgery or radiation therapy to help destroy any remaining cancer cells — a therapy known as adjuvant chemotherapy. So-called palliative chemotherapy is used to decrease the number of cancer cells, the size of a tumor, or the amount of cancer in the body and to increase life expectancy.
While some cancer cells grow rapidly, others grow slowly. Consequently, different cancer drugs are used to target the growth patterns of specific cancer cells. If you are diagnosed with cancer, your doctor will develop a treatment plan for you and determine the chemotherapy drug or drugs right for you. It’s important for you to discuss the plan with your doctor as well as the risks and benefits of the treatment he or she recommends to help your doctor decide what’s best for you.
Your doctor will determine the dosage and frequency of the chemotherapy you receive, depending on the type of cancer you have and the type of chemo you are taking.
Chemo may be given in the form of a pill or liquid that you may take at home; as a shot given in your doctor’s office, a hospital, cancer center, clinic or at home; intravenously with a needle or through a tiny tube (a catheter) in a hospital, cancer center or clinic; or as a cream rubbed onto your skin. Intravenous chemo is the most common form.
Some chemotherapy drugs may affect a woman’s ability to become pregnant while she is under treatment and in the future. If you are a woman who may want to have children in the future, tell your doctor before you begin treatment. Chemo can also decrease sexual desire in both women and men. However, the desire usually returns when treatment stops.
Read blogs from oncology professionals at MyCancerAdvisor.com:
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