Procedure for Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy is also referred as chemo. Chemotherapy is a treatment for cancer with the help of chemo drugs to destroy the cancer cells.
Many of us mistake chemotherapy as a cancer treatment using radiation heating energy (radiation therapy).  The objective of chemotherapy is to stop, slow down the cancer growth and to reduce the symptoms caused by the cancer cells (cure, control and palliation).

Who Can Benefit From Chemotherapy?

Chemotherapy is recommended for cancer patients. Sometimes, the specialist might recommend chemotherapy as the sole cancer treatment, or it can be done in combination with other treatments, or prior to starting an advanced treatment.
Following are the effects of chemotherapy treatment in cancer patients:–

• Reduces thesize of cancer cells
• Kills the tumours which are persistent even aftera radiation therapy or a surgery
• Destroys the tumours which are not primary buthave spread to other areas
• Improves theeffectiveness of other cancer treatments

Why are The Investigations Done Before a Chemotherapy Treatment?

A cancer patient is assessed with respect to the following criteria: –

• Type of cancer
• Stage of cancer
• Previous cancer treatments
• Patient’s age
• General healthcondition

Significance of Chemotherapy in the Stages of Cancer

There are 4 stages of cancer that we talk about –

• Stage 1: cancer cells are relatively small and only limited within the organ it started to develop
• Stage 2: cancer cells have grown a little larger but have not started spreading
• Stage 3: cancer cells are even larger and may or may not have spread to adjoining tissues
• Stage 4: cancer cells have spread to several other adjoining tissues

Cancer awareness is highly important to detect the cancer symptoms at a very early stage and for making the treatment highly effective. Cancer symptoms vary and depend on the type of cancer.  
Chemo drugs are recommended in any of the above stages of cancer. In stage 4 cancer, it may be used to help relieve pain.

What are The Chemotherapy Side Effects?

One has to bear with certain chemotherapy side effects caused by certain chemo drugs until the treatment is completely over. The following are few of such chemotherapy side effects –

• Nauseaand vomiting
• Fatigue
• Loss of hunger
• Hair loss(partial/complete)
• Hearingimpairment
• Reduced whiteblood cells making you more susceptible for infections
• Reducedplatelet blood counts making your blood thin
• Reduced redblood cells making you anaemic
• Temporarilyreduced fertility
• Diarrhoea orconstipation
• Loss of focus/memory loss
• Mood swings/depression