Cancer Chemotherapy

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Basics

• Summary
• Start Here
• Latest News

Learn More

• Living With
• Related Issues
• Specifics

See, Play and Learn

• Health Check Tools

Research

• Clinical Trials
• Journal Articles

Resources

• Reference Desk
• Find an Expert

For You

• Children
• Teenagers
• Men
• Women
• Patient Handouts

Summary

Normally, your cells grow and die in a controlled way. Cancer cells keep growing without control. Chemotherapy is drug therapy for cancer. It works by killing the cancer cells, stopping them from spreading, or slowing their growth. However, it can also harm healthy cells, which causes side effects.

You may have a lot of side effects, some, 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 fatigue, nausea, vomiting, pain, and 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.

Your treatment plan will depend on the cancer type, the chemotherapy drugs used, the treatment goal, and how your body responds. 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. You might take the drugs by mouth, in a shot, as a cream, or intravenously (by IV).

NIH: National Cancer Institute

Start Here

• Chemotherapy (American Cancer Society) Also in Spanish
• Chemotherapy and You: Support for People with Cancer (National Cancer Institute) Also in Spanish
• Understanding Chemotherapy (National Cancer Institute) - PDF Also in Spanish

Latest News

• FDA Widens Access to 'Cooling Cap' to Stop Hair Loss in Cancer Patients (07/05/2017, HealthDay)
• Childhood Chemo May Have Lasting Effects on Memory (06/20/2017, HealthDay)
• Chemo Drug May Buy Time for Those with Bile Duct Cancer (05/18/2017, HealthDay)

Living With

• Eating Hints: Before, During, and After Cancer Treatment (National Cancer Institute) Also in Spanish
• Nutrition for the Person with Cancer during Treatment (American Cancer Society) Also in Spanish

Related Issues

• Breast Cancer Chemotherapy and Your Heart (American Heart Association)
• Cancer Patients and Fungal Infections (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
• Chemo Brain (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
• Chemotherapy and Hair Loss: What to Expect during Treatment (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
• Chemotherapy and Sex: Is Sexual Activity OK during Treatment? (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
• Chemotherapy and Your Mouth (National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research) Also in Spanish
• Chemotherapy Effects (American Cancer Society)
• Chemotherapy Side Effects: A Cause of Heart Disease? (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
• Epoetin and Darbepoetin Treatment for Adults with Cancer (American Society of Clinical Oncology) - PDF
• Low Blood Cell Counts: Side Effect of Cancer Treatment (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
• Managing Chemotherapy Side Effects: Anemia (National Cancer Institute) - PDF Also in Spanish
• Managing Chemotherapy Side Effects: Appetite Changes (National Cancer Institute) - PDF Also in Spanish
• Managing Chemotherapy Side Effects: Bleeding Problems (National Cancer Institute) - PDF Also in Spanish
• Managing Chemotherapy Side Effects: Constipation (National Cancer Institute) - PDF Also in Spanish
• Managing Chemotherapy Side Effects: Diarrhea (National Cancer Institute) - PDF Also in Spanish
• Managing Chemotherapy Side Effects: Fatigue (Feeling Weak and Very Tired) (National Cancer Institute) - PDF Also in Spanish
• Managing Chemotherapy Side Effects: Hair Loss (Alopecia) (National Cancer Institute) - PDF Also in Spanish
• Managing Chemotherapy Side Effects: Infection (National Cancer Institute) - PDF Also in Spanish
• Managing Chemotherapy Side Effects: Memory Changes (National Cancer Institute) - PDF Also in Spanish
• Managing Chemotherapy Side Effects: Mouth and Throat Changes (National Cancer Institute) - PDF Also in Spanish
• Managing Chemotherapy Side Effects: Nausea and Vomiting (National Cancer Institute) - PDF
• Managing Chemotherapy Side Effects: Nerve Changes (National Cancer Institute) - PDF Also in Spanish
• Managing Chemotherapy Side Effects: Pain (National Cancer Institute) - PDF Also in Spanish
• Managing Chemotherapy Side Effects: Skin and Nail Changes (National Cancer Institute) - PDF Also in Spanish
• Managing Chemotherapy Side Effects: Swelling (Fluid Retention) (National Cancer Institute) - PDF Also in Spanish
• Managing Chemotherapy Side Effects: Urination Changes (National Cancer Institute) - PDF Also in Spanish
• Off-Label Drug Use (American Cancer Society)
• Oral Complications of Chemotherapy and Head/Neck Radiation (PDQ) (National Cancer Institute) Also in Spanish
• Preventing Infections in Cancer Patients (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) Also in Spanish
• Preventing Vomiting Caused by Cancer Treatment (American Society of Clinical Oncology)

Specifics

• Central Venous Catheter (Central Line) (American Thoracic Society) - PDF
• Oral Chemotherapy: What You Need to Know (American Cancer Society)
• Targeted Cancer Therapies (National Cancer Institute) Also in Spanish
• Vascular Access Procedures (American College of Radiology, Radiological Society of North America) Also in Spanish

Health Check Tools

• Take 3 Steps Toward Preventing Infections During Cancer Treatment (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

Clinical Trials

• ClinicalTrials.gov: Cancer Chemotherapy (National Institutes of Health)

Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

• Article: Napabucasin: An Update on the First-in-Class Cancer Stemness Inhibitor.
• Article: Reprogramming the oncogenic response: SET protein as a potential therapeutic...
• Article: Pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic considerations for cancer patients undergoing hemodialysis.
• Cancer Chemotherapy -- see more articles

Reference Desk

• 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)
• Finding Treatment Centers (American Cancer Society)
• National Cancer Institute Also in Spanish
• NCI Designated Cancer Centers (National Cancer Institute) Also in Spanish
• Organizations That Offer Support Services (National Cancer Institute) Also in Spanish

Children

• Chemotherapy (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
• Chemotherapy (For Parents) (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
• Side Effects of Chemotherapy and Radiation (For Parents) (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish

Teenagers

• Chemotherapy (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish

Men

• Managing Chemotherapy Side Effects: Sexual and Fertility Changes in Men (National Cancer Institute) - PDF Also in Spanish

Women

• Managing Chemotherapy Side Effects: Sexual and Fertility Changes in Women (National Cancer Institute) - PDF 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
• Chemotherapy and Your Mouth (National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research) Also in Spanish
• Low white blood cell count and cancer (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Managing Chemotherapy Side Effects: Anemia (National Cancer Institute) - PDF Also in Spanish
• Managing Chemotherapy Side Effects: Appetite Changes (National Cancer Institute) - PDF Also in Spanish
• Managing Chemotherapy Side Effects: Bleeding Problems (National Cancer Institute) - PDF Also in Spanish
• Managing Chemotherapy Side Effects: Constipation (National Cancer Institute) - PDF Also in Spanish
• Managing Chemotherapy Side Effects: Diarrhea (National Cancer Institute) - PDF Also in Spanish
• Managing Chemotherapy Side Effects: Fatigue (Feeling Weak and Very Tired) (National Cancer Institute) - PDF Also in Spanish
• Managing Chemotherapy Side Effects: Hair Loss (Alopecia) (National Cancer Institute) - PDF Also in Spanish
• Managing Chemotherapy Side Effects: Infection (National Cancer Institute) - PDF Also in Spanish
• Managing Chemotherapy Side Effects: Memory Changes (National Cancer Institute) - PDF Also in Spanish
• Managing Chemotherapy Side Effects: Mouth and Throat Changes (National Cancer Institute) - PDF Also in Spanish
• Managing Chemotherapy Side Effects: Nausea and Vomiting (National Cancer Institute) - PDF
• Managing Chemotherapy Side Effects: Nerve Changes (National Cancer Institute) - PDF Also in Spanish
• Managing Chemotherapy Side Effects: Pain (National Cancer Institute) - PDF Also in Spanish
• Managing Chemotherapy Side Effects: Sexual and Fertility Changes in Men (National Cancer Institute) - PDF Also in Spanish
• Managing Chemotherapy Side Effects: Sexual and Fertility Changes in Women (National Cancer Institute) - PDF Also in Spanish
• Managing Chemotherapy Side Effects: Skin and Nail Changes (National Cancer Institute) - PDF Also in Spanish
• Managing Chemotherapy Side Effects: Swelling (Fluid Retention) (National Cancer Institute) - PDF Also in Spanish
• Managing Chemotherapy Side Effects: Urination Changes (National Cancer Institute) - PDF Also in Spanish
• Oral mucositis (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Types of chemotherapy (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Understanding Chemotherapy (National Cancer Institute) - PDF Also in Spanish