Chemotherapy at Holzer Center for Cancer Care

“Chemo” is a term frequently heard when people talk about chemotherapy. Often, patients are concerned about the side-effects of chemo, or even scared to discuss this specialized form of treatment. Two things are true about chemotherapy: it can have undesirable side effects, and it can be a tremendously effective weapon in the fight against cancer.

The best way to approach your chemotherapy is to learn as much as you can. Knowledge can help alleviate fear and provide you with the understanding you need to make the most of your treatment.

Please feel free to Contact Us with questions about “chemo,” and for any additional information on the programs and services of the Holzer Center for Cancer Care.

What is Chemotherapy?

Chemotherapy is a type of treatment for diseases, such as cancer, that uses an array of powerful medications. Occasionally one drug can be used, but most of the time several are employed in a process called “combination chemotherapy.”

Although chemo can be used as the single treatment for cancer, it is usually given in addition to surgery and/or radiation therapy. Surgery and radiation target the specific area of the cancer, whereas chemo works throughout the entire body. When chemotherapy is used after either of these other treatments it is typically used to help kill remaining cancer cells.

There are five main goals of Chemotherapy:

• Cure the cancer.
• Keep cancer from spreading.
• Slow cancer’s growth.
• Kill cancer cells.
• Relieve symptoms caused by cancer.

Receiving Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy is given in on-and-off cycles, allowing your body periods of rest for the building of healthy new cells.

There are many ways to receive chemotherapy. A typical course of chemo can be given through an IV infusion and may last from 30 minutes to a few hours. In some cases continuous infusions may last from one to four days.

Methods of administering chemo include:

• IV Infusion (as described above)
• By mouth/orally.
• Injected through a needle or catheter into a vein.
• Injected into the spinal canal.
• Injected directly into an artery.
• Through a catheter into the abdominal cavity or chest cavity.
• Injected through a needle into a muscle.
• Injected directly into a tumor in the skin, under the skin, or into an internal organ.
• Medication that is applied directly to a cancerous area on the skin.

Chemotherapy should not hurt, only the initial needle stick to insert the catheter will cause discomfort.

Side Effects of Chemotherapy

Common side effects of Chemotherapy include the following:

• Nausea and vomiting.
• Hair loss.
• Fatigue.
• Increased chance of bruising and bleeding.
• Anemia.
• Infection.

All side effects should gradually disappear after your treatment with chemo has ceased.

Hair loss is a top concern of patients, although not everyone experiences the loss of all of their hair. Some patients have only a thinning of their hair, while others do experience significant hair loss. For everyone, hair almost always grows back after the treatments are finished. For those suffering hair loss, and who may find it difficult to accept, our volunteers are prepared to custom fit you with a free wig, or help you find the wig that best suits you.  See our Appearance Center for more information.

Holzer Center for Cancer Care is here for one reason… to serve. We offer chemotherapy for many types of cancer. We have volunteers ready to answer any questions you may have about your chemo treatment.

Follow Up Care

Follow up care is very important. No matter the type of cancer you may be battling, when chemotherapy ends it is necessary to continue with regular check ups in order to monitor your progress and give you another opportunity to ask questions about anything that you may be noticing. Follow up sessions allow you to ask questions such as: “Can I go back to eating what I want? May I resume my normal activities? When can I try to have children again?”

Your diagnosis of cancer is a difficult concept to accept, and chemotherapy is serious medicine. At Holzer Center for Cancer care, our mission is to make your treatment as comfortable and as effective as possible. Your treatment should present no obstacle to helping you defeat cancer and return to health. That is why we do everything possible to help you understand what your body is going through, how your chemotherapy will proceed, and how we can all work together to make treatments as easy as possible for you.

Contact Holzer Center for Cancer Care for more information.

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