Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy is the use of drugs to
kill cancer cells.
A doctor who specializes in treating
cancer with medication is called a
medical oncologist.
Some people may receive
chemotherapy in their doctor's office,
at an outpatient clinic, or at the
hospital; others may take the medicine
at home, depending on the type of
Uses of chemotherapy
as an adjuvant treatment (treatment
given after the main treatment, such
as surgery or radiation therapy) to kill
any cancer cells that remain.
as neoadjuvant therapy (treatment
given before surgery or radiation
therapy to shrink tumors).
to treat recurrent cancer (cancer that
comes back
after treatment)
or metastatic cancer (cancer that
has spread to
other parts of the
Goals of chemotherapy
The primary goal of chemotherapy is to
eliminate the cancer cells and
prevent recurrence (having the
cancer come back after treatment).
If it is not possible to eliminate the
cancer, chemotherapy may be used to
control the cancer by slowing its
growth
and/or to reduce symptoms caused
Types of chemotherapy
Systemic cancer treatments work by
interfering in various ways with cancer cell
growth and division.
Traditional chemotherapy drugs interfere with
processes that are similar in cancer cells and
normal cells, such as making proteins or
dividing into new cells.
Meanwhile, some of the newer therapies
affect cancer cells by targeting processes that
are vital to the cancer cell but not important
to normal cells.
These newer therapies have different (and
Hormone therapy.
These treatments change the amount of hormones in
the body,
which helps because several types of
cancerincluding some breast and prostate cancers
can only grow and spread in the presence of
certain
hormones.
Targeted therapy.
These treatments target specific genes or proteins
within the cancer cell or affect the tissue environment
that contributes to cancer growth and survival.
Immunotherapy.
These treatments are designed to boost the
body's natural defenses to fight the cancer. It
uses materials made either by the body or in a
laboratory to bolster, target, or restore immune system
function.
Radiation Therapy
doctor - radiation oncologist
goal - to kill cancer cells without
harming the surrounding healthy
tissue
It may be used as the main
treatment
as an adjuvant therapy
treatment area.
However, major improvements in radiation
technology have made it more precise,