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Summary
What is cancer chemotherapy?
Cancer chemotherapy is a type of cancer treatment. It uses medicines to destroy cancer cells.
Normally, the cells in your body grow and die in a controlled way. Cancer cells keep growing without control. Chemotherapy works by killing the cancer cells, stopping them from spreading, or slowing their growth.
Chemotherapy is used to:
- Treat cancer by curing the cancer, lessening the chance it will return, or stopping or slowing its growth.
- Ease cancer symptoms by shrinking tumors that are causing pain and other problems.
What are the side effects of chemotherapy?
Chemotherapy does not just destroy cancer cells. It can also harm some healthy cells, which causes side effects.
You may have a lot of side effects, some side effects, or none at all. It depends on the type and amount of chemotherapy you get and how your body reacts.
Some common side effects are:
- Mouth sores
- Fatigue
- Nausea and vomiting
- Pain
- Hair loss
There are ways to prevent or control some side effects. Talk with your health care provider about how to manage them. Healthy cells usually recover after chemotherapy is over, so most side effects gradually go away.
What can I expect when getting chemotherapy?
You may get chemotherapy in a hospital or at home, a doctor's office, or a medical clinic. You might be given the medicines by mouth, in a shot, as a cream, through a catheter, or intravenously (by IV).
Your treatment plan will depend on the type of cancer you have, which chemotherapy medicines are used, the treatment goals, and how your body responds to the medicines.
Chemotherapy may be given alone or with other treatments. You may get treatment every day, every week, or every month. You may have breaks between treatments so that your body has a chance to build new healthy cells.
NIH: National Cancer Institute
Living With
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Eating Hints: Before, during, and after Cancer Treatment
(National Cancer Institute) Also in Spanish
- Nutrition for People with Cancer (American Cancer Society) Also in Spanish
Related Issues
- Anemia (American Society of Clinical Oncology) Also in Spanish
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Anemia and Cancer Treatment
(National Cancer Institute) Also in Spanish
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Appetite Loss and Cancer Treatment
(National Cancer Institute) Also in Spanish
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Bleeding and Bruising (Thrombocytopenia) and Cancer Treatment
(National Cancer Institute)
- Cancer Patients and Fungal Infections (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
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Cancer Therapy Interactions with Foods and Dietary Supplements
(National Cancer Institute)
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Cancer Treatments & Oral Health
(National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research) Also in Spanish
- Chemo Brain (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
- Chemotherapy and Hair Loss: What to Expect during Treatment (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
- Chemotherapy and Sex: Is Sexual Activity OK during Treatment? (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
- Chemotherapy Side Effects: A Cause of Heart Disease? (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
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Constipation and Cancer Treatment
(National Cancer Institute) Also in Spanish
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Diarrhea and Cancer Treatment
(National Cancer Institute) Also in Spanish
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Edema (Swelling) and Cancer Treatment
(National Cancer Institute)
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Fatigue and Cancer Treatment
(National Cancer Institute)
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Hair Loss (Alopecia) and Cancer Treatment
(National Cancer Institute) Also in Spanish
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Infection and Neutropenia during Cancer Treatment
(National Cancer Institute) Also in Spanish
- Low Blood Cell Counts: Side Effects of Cancer Treatment (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
- Managing Cancer-Related Side Effects (American Cancer Society) Also in Spanish
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Memory or Concentration Problems and Cancer Treatment
(National Cancer Institute) Also in Spanish
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Mouth and Throat Problems during Cancer Treatment
(National Cancer Institute) Also in Spanish
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Nausea and Vomiting in People with Cancer
(National Cancer Institute)
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Nerve Problems (Peripheral Neuropathy) and Cancer Treatment
(National Cancer Institute) Also in Spanish
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Off-Label Drug Use in Cancer Treatment
(National Cancer Institute)
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Oral Complications of Chemotherapy and Head/Neck Radiation
(National Cancer Institute) Also in Spanish
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Pain Management for People with Cancer
(National Cancer Institute) Also in Spanish
- Preventing Infections in Cancer Patients (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) Also in Spanish
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Skin and Nail Changes during Cancer Treatment
(National Cancer Institute) Also in Spanish
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Urinary and Bladder Problems
(National Cancer Institute) Also in Spanish
Specifics
- Central Venous Catheter (Central Line) (American Thoracic Society) - PDF
- Getting Oral or Topical Chemotherapy (American Cancer Society) Also in Spanish
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Targeted Therapy to Treat Cancer
(National Cancer Institute) Also in Spanish
Health Check Tools
- Take 3 Steps Toward Preventing Infections During Cancer Treatment (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) Also in Spanish
Test Your Knowledge
- Test Your Chemotherapy Knowledge (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
Clinical Trials
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ClinicalTrials.gov: Cancer Chemotherapy
(National Institutes of Health)
Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)
- Article: A First-in-human, Dose-escalation Study of the Methionine Aminopeptidase 2 Inhibitor M8891...
- Article: Phase Ia dose-escalation trial with the BET protein inhibitor BI 894999...
- Article: A multicenter, phase II trial of GC1118, a novel anti-EGFR antibody,...
- Cancer Chemotherapy -- see more articles
Reference Desk
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Dictionary of Cancer Terms
(National Cancer Institute) Also in Spanish
Find an Expert
- American Cancer Society
- Find a Cancer Doctor (American Society of Clinical Oncology)
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National Cancer Institute
Also in Spanish
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NCI Designated Cancer Centers
(National Cancer Institute) Also in Spanish
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Organizations that Offer Cancer Support Services
(National Cancer Institute) Also in Spanish
Children
- Central Lines (Central Venous Catheters) (Nemours Foundation)
- Chemotherapy (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
- Implanted Ports (Nemours Foundation)
- Peripherally Inserted Central Catheter (PICC Line) (Nemours Foundation)
- Side Effects of Chemotherapy and Radiation (For Parents) (Nemours Foundation)
- Tunneled Central Lines (Nemours Foundation)
Women
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Sexual Health Issues in Women with Cancer
(National Cancer Institute) Also in Spanish
Patient Handouts
- After chemotherapy - discharge (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
- Central venous catheter - dressing change (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
- Central venous catheter - flushing (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
- Central venous catheters - ports (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
- Low white blood cell count and cancer (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
- Oral mucositis - self-care (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
- Types of chemotherapy (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish