Chemotherapy is treatment with anti-cancer drugs, which enter the body intravenously or by mouth. Oncologists administer chemotherapy at various stages of cancer and for different reasons. After a surgical treatment, doctors give chemotherapy to patients to decrease the chance of the cancer’s recurrence. When cancer is already spread throughout the body, chemotherapy is the main treatment. In other cases, doctors administer chemotherapy to shrink the cancer before surgery.
Doctors administer chemotherapy in cycles—a period of treatment followed by a period of recovery. Many chemotherapy drugs exist for treating all types of cancer. Doctors often administer a combination of chemotherapy drugs to a patient to produce the maximum effectiveness.
Chemotherapy medications produce adverse side effects in many patients. The side effects depend on the kind of drug, the amount of the drug and the course of treatment. Common side effects include nausea, vomiting, appetite loss, hair loss, mouth sores, menstrual cycle changes, decreased immune system, and fatigue. The side effects are a temporary result of the drugs, and generally dissipate after the conclusion of treatment.
