Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy is a drug treatment using strong medicines to kill cancer cells in the body. Chemotherapy is often used to treat cancer since cancer cells grow and divide at a much quicker rate than normal cells. Chemotherapy drugs can be used alone or in combination for maximum effect. Though chemotherapy is an effective way to treat many types of cancer, it also carries side effects. Chemotherapy is recommended for cancer that has already spread to other areas of the body or for tumours that cannot be removed surgically. It is also used when a patient has a recurrent disease after initial treatment with surgery or radiation therapy. 

Process: Chemotherapy drugs can be given in different ways, including:

• Infusions – It is mostly given intravenously (into a vein) by inserting a tube with a needle into the arm or a device in a vein in the chest
• Pills – Certain chemotherapy drugs can be taken in capsule or pill form
• Shots – Some drugs can be injected with a needle shot
• Chemotherapy creams. Creams or gels containing chemotherapy drugs can be applied to the skin to treat certain types of skin cancer.
• Localized Chemotherapy - Chemotherapy drugs can be given directly to one area of the body or on the location of the cancer