Chemotherapy how does it work

As part of our mission to eliminate cancer, MD Anderson researchers conduct hundreds of clinical trials to test new treatments for both common and rare cancers.

Choose from 12 allied health programs at School of Health Professions. Learn about our graduate medical education residency and fellowship opportunities. The B-Cell Lymphoma Moon Shot is revolutionizing the conventional medical research approach to rapidly translate findings into patient treatment options and develop personalized therapeutic strategies.

Starting chemotherapy for the first time? If you are new to this common cancer treatment , you're probably wondering how chemotherapy works, if you will lose your hair or even if chemotherapy hurts. We spoke with Mariela Blum-Murphy, M. Chemotherapy is used in a variety of ways. There are multiple types of chemotherapy, and each kind works a bit differently. In general, chemotherapy attacks rapidly dividing cells, such as cancer cells.

It can cause the cancer cell to die by not functioning properly or stop it from spreading by interfering with its ability to reproduce. Most chemotherapy drugs are given through an IV, but some are injected into muscle, under the skin or directly into the spinal fluid. Other chemotherapy drugs can be swallowed in pill form.

Chemotherapy is often given in combination with other chemotherapy drugs or with other treatments, such as targeted therapy , radiation therapy or immunotherapy. IV chemotherapy should not cause any pain while being administered.

If you experience pain, contact the nurse taking care of you to check your IV line. An exception would be if there is a leak and the drug gets into surrounding tissues. Side effects depend on the type of chemotherapy. The most common ones are mouth sores , diarrhea , nausea, fatigue and those caused by bone marrow suppression, such as a decrease in white blood cell count neutropenia. Not necessarily. Some chemotherapy drugs do cause hair loss. Others may cause only hair thinning and some may not cause any hair loss.

The reason hair loss sometimes happens is that chemotherapy drugs affect rapidly dividing cells. It may be helpful to arrive for your first chemotherapy treatment well rested. You might wish to eat a light meal beforehand in case your chemotherapy medications cause nausea. Have a friend or family member drive you to your first treatment. Most people can drive themselves to and from chemotherapy sessions. But the first time you may find that the medications make you sleepy or cause other side effects that make driving difficult.

Your doctor determines how often you'll receive chemotherapy treatments based on what drugs you'll receive, the characteristics of your cancer and how well your body recovers after each treatment. Chemotherapy treatment schedules vary.

Chemotherapy treatment can be continuous, or it may alternate between periods of treatment and periods of rest to let you recover. Where you'll receive your chemotherapy treatments depends on your situation. Chemotherapy treatments can be given:. You'll meet with your cancer doctor oncologist regularly during chemotherapy treatment. Your oncologist will ask about any side effects you're experiencing, since many can be controlled.

Depending on your situation, you may also undergo scans and other tests to monitor your cancer during chemotherapy treatment. These tests can give your doctor an idea of how your cancer is responding to treatment, and your treatment may be adjusted accordingly.

Explore Mayo Clinic studies of tests and procedures to help prevent, detect, treat or manage conditions. Chemotherapy care at Mayo Clinic. Mayo Clinic does not endorse companies or products.

Advertising revenue supports our not-for-profit mission. This content does not have an English version. This content does not have an Arabic version. Overview Chemotherapy is a drug treatment that uses powerful chemicals to kill fast-growing cells in your body. Request an Appointment at Mayo Clinic. Examples of cancers where chemotherapy works very well are testicular cancer and Hodgkin lymphoma.

With some cancers, chemotherapy can't cure the cancer on its own. But it can help in combination with other types of treatment. For example, many people with breast or bowel cancer have chemotherapy after surgery to help lower the risk of the cancer coming back.

Remission is a word doctors often use when talking about cancer. It means that after treatment there is no sign of the cancer. This means that the cancer can't be detected on scans, x-rays, blood tests or other tests. Doctors sometimes call this a complete response or they might say there is no evidence of disease.

This means the treatment has killed some of the cells, but not all. The cancer has shrunk, but can still be seen on scans and doesn't appear to be growing. The treatment might have stopped the cancer from growing. Or the treatment could have made the cancer smaller so that other treatments are more likely to help, such as surgery or radiotherapy. This is sometimes called a partial response. Another term doctors use is stable disease.

This can mean that the cancer has stayed the same size or it might even have grown by a small amount. Chemotherapy is anti cancer drug treatment. Find out about when you might have it, how you have it and possible side effects. There are many different types of cancer drugs.

Some treat cancer and others help to relieve symptoms such as sickness and pain. The type of drugs you need for your cancer depends on what type of cancer you have.

You might have a combination of drugs.