What Are the Uses of Chemotherapy?

According to the American Cancer Society, chemotherapy, which has been used since the 1950s, is often used to treat cancer and other diseases. Powerful chemical agents are used to stop or slow the growth of cancer cells throughout the body. Chemotherapy may be administered by a pill, a shot or through an intravenous line. Dosages vary depending on the type of cancer being treated.

Cancer Treatment

• Chemotherapy can sometimes alone destroy cancer cells and put the condition into remission. Treatment is continued until all signs of cancer are gone, according to the National Cancer Institute. In the case of recurrent cancer, chemotherapy may be used to slow down the growth of the cancer and stop it from spreading.

Pre-Surgery And Radiation Treatment

• Chemotherapy may be used to treat cancer before the start of other treatments such as surgery or radiation therapy in order to shrink a tumor, according to Mayo Clinic staff. This is called neoadjuvant chemotherapy and can make removing the cancer easier and less destructive during the surgery that follows. Small deposits of cancer cells not picked up by an X-ray or scan also may be destroyed by neoadjuvant chemotherapy.

Post-Surgery or Radiation Treatment

• Chemotherapy may be used after surgery or radiation treatment has been completed to kill any remaining cancer cells at the tumor site/elsewhere in the body or if there is risk of recurrence of the cancer. This is called adjuvant chemotherapy and can be an effective treatment. Chemotherapy also may be used after surgery if the whole tumor was not able to be removed, according to the National Cancer Institute. This may not cure the cancer, but it will reduce symptoms.

Symptom Relief

• Chemotherapy treatments are sometimes used to help control the pain by shrinking the tumor that is causing pain or pressure, according to the National Cancer Institute. This is called palliative chemotherapy and helps to keep the cancer patient comfortable and stops the cancer from growing and spreading to other organs. The life of the patient may be extended with this treatment.

Treat Other Conditions

• The Mayo Clinic states that a high dose of chemotherapy may be used to prepare for a bone marrow transplant by destroying the existing bone marrow cells to make way for the new healthy transplant stem cells. Chemotherapy also may help to control a malfunctioning immune system by suppressing it and slowing down cell production in such diseases as lupus and rheumatoid arthritis. The aim of this treatment is to decrease abnormal cell behavior.