Chemotherapy - Oncology

Chemotherapy - Oncology

Chemotherapy is one of the methods used in the treatment of cancer. It is a systemic treatment,
meaning it affects the entire body, which makes it very useful for targeting metastasized cancer,
as well as ensuring that any lingering cancer cells are destroyed to prevent the spread of the
disease.
Chemotherapy involves administering a combination of medicines which are known as
cytotoxic; there are different combinations depending on the type and site of the cancer as well
as the age and general health of the patient. It is often used in conjunction with other forms of
cancer treatment such as surgery, radiation therapy or immunotherapy.

Diseases Treated with Chemotherapy

Most types of cancer will require treatment with some form of chemotherapy. These include

  •  Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL), Adult
  •  Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML), Adult + Child
  •  Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL), Adult + Child
  •  Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia (CML), Adult + Child
  •  Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma (NHL), Adult + Child
  •  Hodgkin Lymphoma, Adult + Child
  •  Multiple myeloma, Adult
  •  Myelofibrosis, Adult
  •  Leukemia (ALL), Child
  •  Osteosarcoma, Child
  •  Retinoblastoma, Child
  •  Astrocytomas, Child
  •  Neuroblastoma, Child
  •  Ewing’s sarcoma or Ewing sarcoma, Child
  •  Wilms’ tumor, Nephroblastoma, Child
  •  Glioma, Child
  •  Medulloblastoma, Child
  •  Rhabdomyosarcoma, Child

Potential Side Effects of Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy is very important in ensuring that the cancer cells which have migrated from the
original site are also destroyed, but because it affects the whole body, there are also many
potential side effects. Your medical team will try to minimise these side effects and will try to
make you as comfortable as possible.
Some of the more common side effects are:

  •  Hair loss
  •  Easy bruising and bleeding
  •  Infection
  •  Anemia (low red blood cell counts)
  •  Nausea and vomiting
  •  Diarrhea
  •  Mouth sores
  •  Changes in sexual function
  •  Fertility problems

Potential Side Effects of Chemotherapy

There are several ways that chemotherapy can be administered, depending on the type of
cancer and how advanced it is, and also depending on which of the possible medications are
being used. These include:

  • Injection:​ a shot is injected directly into your muscle or into fatty tissue just beneath
    the skin
  •  Intravenous (IV):​ chemotherapy drugs flow directly into a vein
  • Oral:​ you swallow a liquid or pill that contains the chemo drugs