Medical oncology services such as chemotherapy use “anticancer” drugs to destroy cancer cells by stopping them from growing or multiplying. Where surgery and radiation therapy treat cancers confined to a specific area, chemotherapy has the ability to treat metastatic cancers which have spread to numerous locations.
Chemotherapy can be either the primary cancer treatment (used alone or in combination with other types of treatment) or used to prevent the return of cancer following a primary therapy such as surgery or radiation therapy.
Because some drugs work better together than alone, often two or more drugs are given at the same time. This is called combination chemotherapy. Which drugs are used is based on what kind of cancer you have, where the cancer is located, the effect of the cancer on your normal body functions and your general health.
Healthy cells, especially those that divide quickly, can also be harmed during chemotherapy. This is what causes side effects during treatment. Many of the side effects of chemotherapy are temporary, subsiding once treatment is completed. In addition, there have been recent breakthroughs in the ability to manage symptoms such as nausea.
Chemotherapy drugs can be administered in several ways:
- By Mouth The drug is given in pill, capsule or liquid form.
- By Injection A needle and syringe are used to give the drug into a muscle, under the skin or directly into a cancerous area in the skin
- Intravenous Chemotherapy is most often given by a thin needle inserted into a vein on the hand or lower arm during each treatment session. Chemotherapy can also be delivered intravenously through catheters, ports and pumps.
- By Application to the Skin The drug is applied on the surface of the skin.
Your oncologist will select the method based on what’s best for your type of cancer. You may get treatment every day, every week or every month. Chemotherapy is often given in cycles that include treatment periods alternated with rest periods that give your body a chance to build healthy new cells and regain its strength. How often and how long you get chemotherapy will depend on the type of cancer, treatment goals, drugs being used and how your body responds to them.
For further information on chemotherapy, visit the National Cancer Institute's guide Chemotherapy and You: A Guide to Self-Help During Cancer Treatment.
Hormonal Therapy
Hormonal therapy is sometimes given as a part of treatment. Estrogen and progesterone are hormones that affect the way some cancers grow. If tests show that the cancer cells have estrogen and progesterone receptors (molecules found in some cancer cells to which estrogen and progesterone will attach), hormone therapy is used to block the way these hormones help the cancer grow. Examples of hormonal treatment include the use of Tamoxifen for breast cancer, and testosterone-blocking agents (Zoladex, Lupron, flutamide, and Casodex are all examples) for prostate cancer.
To find an Evergreen-affiliated medical oncologist whose specialty, location and insurance meet your needs:
- Call the Evergreen Healthline (425.899.3000) and press “1” to speak with a referral coordinator.
- Search our online database of physicians affiliated with Evergreen.