Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy uses powerful drugs to kill cancer cells, control their growth, or relieve pain symptoms. Chemotherapy may involve one drug, or a combination of two or more drugs, depending on the type of cancer and its rate of progression. Chemotherapy can be used in combination with other treatments such as surgery (link to section: surgery) or radiation (link to section: radiation), to make sure all cancer cells have been eliminated. Chemotherapy is also given to treat or prevent symptoms developing from advanced cancer not treatable with surgery or radiation.
At Cancer Care Center of Frederick, our doctors customize your treatment according to your cancer diagnosis, stage of disease, medical conditions, and your preferences. We help you determine the best chemotherapy option and integrate this with other forms of treatment to give you the best individualized cancer care possible.
Cancer Care Center of Frederick is a member of Cancer Clinics of Excellence (CCE), a growing network of over a hundred experienced hematology / oncology professionals. With CCE, Cancer Care Center of Frederick is improving the quality of care for our patients locally and nationwide by developing detailed algorithms for treating cancer and blood disorders based clinical trial evidence as well as hundreds of years of collective wisdom. In this way we can offer you the latest and most effective proven therapies to fight your cancer.
Chemotherapy will cause side effects, but these can vary widely between different chemotherapy regimens. For any given chemotherapy, some side effects are more common than others. When discussing treatment with your oncologist, you will receive information on the treatment as well as counseling on what to expect and how to manage side effects. Here is a list of potential common side effects that may be associated with your chemotherapy and information on how to deal with them. A comprehensive booklet on Chemotherapy & You to successfully prepare you for and counsel you through treatment can be viewed at the National Cancer Institute website or click the links below for more information.
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Chemotherapy AdministrationChemotherapy is administered in three ways:
Intravenous (IV) is by far the most common method. A needle is inserted into a vein and attached with tubing to a plastic bag holding the chemotherapy drugs. The needle is taken out at the end of each treatment.
For some patients who undergo several chemotherapy sessions, a catheter, another type of plastic tubing, is inserted into one of the large veins and left in place during the entire chemotherapy regimen. Some patients have a metal or plastic disc known as a "port" implanted under the skin, to serve as an IV connection device.
IV bags are attached to a tall metal stand with wheels, providing some mobility. Some patients wear a small pump outside the body, with minimal interference to their normal routine. Other patients may have a drug pump surgically inserted into their body.
Oral chemotherapy drugs are taken by mouth, either in pill or liquid form.
Injections are administered into the muscle, under the skin, or directly into a cancer lesion, depending on the type or location of the cancer.
We will walk with you and your loved ones through the process of understanding and receiving treatment and recovering any side effects you may encounter.
Side effects vary from patient to patient and with the type of chemotherapy drugs used. The good news is that there are therapies to help you cope with some side effects, and lost hair does grow back, although sometimes in a different color or texture. The most common side effects of chemotherapy include:
Chemotherapy & You Download PDF
