Chemotherapy, an option for cancer treatment, halts the multiplication of cancer cells. It may also harm healthy cells, although those cells typically recover after treatment ends. Common side effects entail fatigue, vomiting, pain and hair loss. Chemotherapy may not be a part of every cancer treatment; this depends on the variety of cancer and treatment goals. There are a variety of methods to deliver chemotherapy to cancer patients, including intravenous treatment, oral chemotherapy and intra-arterial chemo treatments.
Intravenous Treatment
Intravenous chemotherapy drugs for cancer treatment transmit into the human body in a number of forms, including a central line, a peripherally inserted central catheter, or PICC line, a small tube put into a vein in the hand or arm and a portacath device. Chemotherapy administered via small tube, also called a cannula, may stay in place for a few days if needed, while central lines, PICC lines and portacaths are meant to stay in place for months at a time. The type of intravenous treatment given depends on the duration of chemotherapy treatment, according to CancerHelp UK.
Oral Chemotherapy
Oral chemotherapy treatment take the form of pills or liquids. Some patients prefer this method, if available as an option, because of the ease of receiving chemotherapy in the privacy of the home. Like intravenous chemotherapy treatment, oral chemotherapy kills healthy cells along with cancerous cells, but healthy cells often recover after chemotherapy ceases. Side effects from oral chemotherapy vary depending on the drug and the patient, but may include nausea and vomiting, diarrhea, loss of hair, skin changes and mouth sores, as well as low blood counts, notes the American Cancer Society.
Intra-arterial Chemotherapy Treatments
Intra-arterial chemotherapy treatments supply medication to blood feeding tumors. Physicians utilize special X-rays to locate arteries leading to these tumors in the hopes the treatment will shrink them. This chemotherapy method delivers medication via temporary external catheters and implanted pumps. While this treatment is primarily used to target colon cancer that has spread to the liver, but also finds use in cancers affecting the head and neck, limb sarcoma and limb melanoma, as well as gastric and pancreatic cancer, says Chemocare.com.
