On this page

Basics

• Summary
• Start Here

Learn More

• Living With
• Related Issues
• Specifics

See, Play and Learn

• Health Check Tools
• Test Your Knowledge

Research

• Statistics and Research
• Clinical Trials
• Journal Articles

Resources

• Reference Desk
• Find an Expert

For You

• Children
• Patient Handouts

Summary

What is cancer chemotherapy?

Cancer chemotherapy is a type of cancer treatment. It uses medicines to destroy cancer cells.

Normally, the cells in your body grow and die in a controlled way. Cancer cells keep growing without control. Chemotherapy works by killing the cancer cells, stopping them from spreading, or slowing their growth.

Chemotherapy is used to:

• Treat cancer by curing the cancer, lessening the chance it will return, or stopping or slowing its growth.
• Ease cancer symptoms by shrinking tumors that are causing pain and other problems.

What are the side effects of chemotherapy?

Chemotherapy does not just destroy cancer cells. It can also harm some healthy cells, which causes side effects.

You may have a lot of side effects, some side effects, or none at all. It depends on the type and amount of chemotherapy you get and how your body reacts.

Some common side effects are:

• Mouth sores
• Fatigue
• Nausea and vomiting
• Pain
• Hair loss

There are ways to prevent or control some side effects. Talk with your health care provider about how to manage them. Healthy cells usually recover after chemotherapy is over, so most side effects gradually go away.

What can I expect when getting chemotherapy?

You may get chemotherapy in a hospital or at home, a doctor's office, or a medical clinic. You might be given the medicines by mouth, in a shot, as a cream, through a catheter, or intravenously (by IV).

Your treatment plan will depend on the type of cancer you have, which chemotherapy medicines are used, the treatment goals, and how your body responds to the medicines.

Chemotherapy may be given alone or with other treatments. You may get treatment every day, every week, or every month. You may have breaks between treatments so that your body has a chance to build new healthy cells.

NIH: National Cancer Institute

Start Here

• A to Z List of Cancer Drugs (National Cancer Institute)
• Chemotherapy (American Cancer Society) Also in Spanish
• Chemotherapy and You: Support for People with Cancer (National Cancer Institute) - PDF Also in Spanish
• Chemotherapy to Treat Cancer (National Cancer Institute) Also in Spanish

Living With

• Eating Hints: Before, during, and after Cancer Treatment (National Cancer Institute) - PDF Also in Spanish
• Nutrition for People with Cancer (American Cancer Society) Also in Spanish

Related Issues

• Anemia: Cancer Treatment Side Effect (National Cancer Institute) Also in Spanish
• Bleeding and Bruising (Thrombocytopenia) and Cancer Treatment (National Cancer Institute)
• Cancer Fatigue (National Cancer Institute) Also in Spanish
• Cancer Therapy Interactions with Foods and Dietary Supplements (National Cancer Institute) Also in Spanish
• Cancer Treatments & Oral Health (National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research) Also in Spanish
• Chemo Brain (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
• Chemotherapy and Hair Loss: What to Expect during Treatment (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
• Chemotherapy and Sex: Is Sexual Activity OK during Treatment? (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
• Chemotherapy Side Effects: A Cause of Heart Disease? (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
• Constipation and Cancer Treatment (National Cancer Institute) Also in Spanish
• Diarrhea and Cancer Treatment (National Cancer Institute) Also in Spanish
• Edema (Swelling) and Cancer Treatment (National Cancer Institute) Also in Spanish
• Hair Loss (Alopecia) and Cancer Treatment (National Cancer Institute) Also in Spanish
• Infection and Neutropenia during Cancer Treatment (National Cancer Institute) Also in Spanish
• Information for Patients Who are Getting Chemotherapy (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) Also in Spanish
• Low Blood Cell Counts: Side Effects of Cancer Treatment (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
• Managing Cancer-Related Side Effects (American Cancer Society) Also in Spanish
• Memory or Concentration Problems and Cancer Treatment (National Cancer Institute) Also in Spanish
• Mouth and Throat Problems: Cancer Treatment Side Effects (National Cancer Institute) Also in Spanish
• Nausea and Vomiting and Cancer Treatment (National Cancer Institute)
• Nerve Problems (Peripheral Neuropathy) and Cancer Treatment (National Cancer Institute) Also in Spanish
• Off-Label Drug Use in Cancer Treatment (National Cancer Institute)
• Oral Complications of Chemotherapy and Head/Neck Radiation (National Cancer Institute) Also in Spanish
• Pain Management (National Cancer Institute) Also in Spanish
• Skin and Nail Changes during Cancer Treatment (National Cancer Institute) Also in Spanish
• Urinary and Bladder Problems (National Cancer Institute) Also in Spanish

Specifics

• Central Venous Catheter (American Thoracic Society) - PDF
• Getting Oral or Topical Chemotherapy (American Cancer Society) Also in Spanish
• TACE Cancerous Tumor Therapy (American College of Radiology; Radiological Society of North America) Also in Spanish
• Targeted Therapy to Treat Cancer (National Cancer Institute) Also in Spanish

Health Check Tools

• Take 3 Steps Toward Preventing Infections During Cancer Treatment (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) Also in Spanish

Test Your Knowledge

• Test Your Chemotherapy Knowledge (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish

Statistics and Research

• Cholesterol Drug May Help Protect the Heart during Chemotherapy for Lymphoma (National Cancer Institute)

Clinical Trials

• ClinicalTrials.gov: Cancer Chemotherapy (National Institutes of Health)

Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

• Article: Phase I study of a recombinant attenuated oncolytic virus, MEDI5395 (NDV-GM-CSF),...
• Article: Effect of Music on Anxiety and Fatigue in Cancer Patients Undergoing...
• Article: Inhibition of Bruton's tyrosine kinase with PD-1 blockade modulates T cell...
• Cancer Chemotherapy -- see more articles

Reference Desk

• Dictionary of Cancer Terms (National Cancer Institute) Also in Spanish

Find an Expert

• American Cancer Society
• Choosing a Cancer Doctor (American Cancer Society) Also in Spanish
• National Cancer Institute Also in Spanish
• NCI - Designated Cancer Centers (National Cancer Institute) Also in Spanish
• Organizations that Offer Cancer Support Services (National Cancer Institute) Also in Spanish

Children

• Central Lines (Central Venous Catheters) (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
• Chemotherapy (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
• Implanted Ports (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
• Peripherally Inserted Central Catheter (PICC Line) (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
• Side Effects of Chemotherapy and Radiation (For Parents) (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
• Tunneled Central Lines (Nemours Foundation)

Patient Handouts

• After chemotherapy - discharge (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Central venous catheter - dressing change (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Central venous catheter - flushing (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Central venous catheters - ports (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Chemotherapy to Treat Cancer (National Cancer Institute) Also in Spanish
• Low white blood cell count and cancer (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Oral mucositis - self-care (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Types of chemotherapy (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish