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Chemotherapy Procedures

Chemotherapy is most commonly used to refer to the class of drugs used to treat cancer, although it technically can refer to any type of medication. There are more than 100 types of chemotherapy used to treat different types of cancer. Many of these chemotherapy drugs have different dosage guidelines and different procedures for use, although they share common properties.

  1. How It Works

    • Chemotherapy drugs work by interfering with cell reproduction. When cells reproduce, they go through five stages, ending with the cell dividing into two identical cells with the same function. Chemotherapy interrupts one of these five stages, preventing the cell from reproducing. This can slow or stop the growth of cancer cells in the body, but is also responsible for many of the side effects of chemotherapy, since it also stops reproduction on other cells that regenerate frequently.

    How is it given

    • Chemotherapy can be administered in a number of methods, depending on the primary location of the tumor, the type of cancer, the size of the tumor, and the health and age of the patient. Chemotherapy is most commonly delivered systematically--injected into a vein (intravenously) so that it travels through the blood stream. It can also be given orally in a pill or topically in a cream. Some chemotherapy medications are injected directly into a tumor. Others are infused into the central nervous system, bladder or abdomen.

    Dosage

    • There are important countervailing considerations at stake when setting a dosage for chemotherapy. The drugs can be poisonous and harm the body permanently, causing liver problems or heart disease. Higher doses of chemotherapy may be more effective at killing cancer cells, but may increase the risk of side effects. The body may also need longer periods to recover when it receives higher doses of chemotherapy, and cancer cells may begin to grow during these recovery periods. Low doses of chemotherapy can be given more frequently and for longer periods of time, but may not be as effective at killing cancer cells. These competing factors must be considered, and generally case studies and past medical histories should be consulted.

    When is it Given

    • Chemotherapy may be the only cancer treatment, or it may be given alongside surgery and radiation. There are two distinct names for chemotherapy depending on when it is given in relation to surgery, and the time of treatment in relation to surgery has different purposes. Adjuvant chemotherapy refers to chemotherapy administered after surgery to remove the primary tumor. Adjuvant chemotherapy kills any remaining cancer cells after surgery or radiation. Neo-adjuvant therapy refers to chemotherapy given before surgery. Its purpose is to shrink tumors too large to be removed by surgery, to make surgery an option.

    Safety Procedures

    • Chemotherapy drugs can be harmful to anyone caring for a cancer patient. Contact can alter DNA cells and cell structure, cause skin irritation, increase the risk of certain cancers, and interfere with healthy fetal development. Wear gloves, gowns or goggles when handling the drugs and when even disposing of the patient's waste products, since the bodily fluids of chemotherapy patients can have chemotherapy drugs in them.

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