Chemotherapy
Finding the right treatment to treat your cancer isn’t always easy. Depending on the type of cancer, you might have a very limited number of treatment options or you might have a variety. Your cancer care team here at Stormont Vail Health will create a treatment option that fits you. This care plan will depend on the type of cancer, the stage of the cancer, your overall health, your personal preferences and more.
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The Stormont Vail Difference
At Stormont Vail Health, your healthcare team provides you and your family or support system with medical expertise and individual care. You have access to our cancer specialists, support groups, social workers and other services –– such as palliative medicine –– all integrated into your cancer care.
When people hear cancer treatment, they often think of chemotherapy. Chemotherapy is a drug treatment that uses chemicals to kill fast-growing cells in your body. There is a variety of chemotherapy drugs available and they can be used alone or in combination to treat different cancers.
Types of Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy drugs come in many different forms including:
- Infusions: The drugs are administered by inserting a tube with a needle into a vein in your arm or into a device in a vein in your chest.
- Pills: Some chemotherapy drugs can be taken in pill or capsule form.
- Shots: Just as you would receive a shot, chemotherapy drugs can be injected using a syringe and needle.
- Creams: Creams or gels containing chemotherapy drugs can be applied directly to the skin to treat certain types of skin cancer.
Risk Factors
Common side effects of chemotherapy drugs include:
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Hair loss
- Loss of appetite/weight loss
- Fatigue
- Fever
- Mouth sores
- Pain
- Constipation
- Bruising
Long-term side effects of chemotherapy may include:
- Damage to lung tissue
- Heart issues
- Infertility
- Kidney issues
- Nerve damage
- Risk of new cancer