Chemotherapy is a drug treatment that uses powerful chemicals to kill fast-growing cells in your body.
Chemotherapy is most often used to treat cancer, since cancer cells grow and multiply much more quickly than most cells in the body.
Many different chemotherapy drugs are available. Chemotherapy drugs can be used alone or in combination to treat a wide variety of cancers.
Though chemotherapy is an effective way to treat many types of cancer, chemotherapy treatment also carries a risk of side effects. Some chemotherapy side effects are mild and treatable, while others can cause serious complications.
How chemotherapy works against cancer
Chemotherapy works by stopping or slowing the growth of cancer cells, which grow and divide quickly. Chemotherapy is used for two reasons:
Treat cancer: Chemotherapy can be used to cure cancer, lessen the chance it will return, or stop or slow its growth.
Ease cancer symptoms: Chemotherapy can be used to shrink tumors that are causing pain and other problems.
Advantages of chemotherapy
Chemotherapy may shrink your cancer or slow down its growth, which may help you live longer and help with your symptoms.
For a small number of people with borderline resectable cancer, chemotherapy may shrink the cancer enough to make surgery to remove the cancer possible.
If you have chemotherapy after surgery, this may reduce the chances of the cancer coming back.
You may have more regular check-ups, tests and contact with your doctor when you are having chemotherapy. Some people find this reassuring.
Side effects of chemotherapy
As well as killing cancer cells, chemotherapy can damage some healthy cells in your body, such as blood cells, skin cells and cells in the stomach.
This can cause a range of unpleasant side effects, such as:
- feeling tired most of the time
- feeling and being sick
- hair loss
- an increased risk of getting infections
- a sore mouth
- dry, sore or itchy skin
- diarrhoea or constipation
Many of these side effects can be treated or prevented and most, if not all, will pass after treatment stops.