Chemotherapy is a general term for treatments that use drugs to kill cancer cells. Multiple drugs are available, and are sometimes used together or alone, depending on the type of cancer requiring treatment. Known as systemic treatment, these...
Carboplatin is a chemotherapy medication given to cancer patients typically through intravenous infusion. According to the MayoClinic.com carboplatin treats several types of cancer including bladder, breast, lung, testicular, brain, skin, ovarian...
Gemzar is the brand name of the chemotherapy drug known as gemcitabine, which is commonly used to treat pancreatic cancer, non-small cell lung cancer, bladder cancer, ovarian cancer and metastatic breast cancer. It is often used in combination...
The National Cancer Institute and the American Cancer Society report acupuncture may be effective in treating certain side effects associated with chemotherapy. Nearly all acupuncture studies have focused only on the management of symptoms...
Chemotherapy is a standard part of treatment for many cancers, and its effects can be far-reaching. Many effects tend to be cumulative, and get worse as treatment progresses. Side effects vary depending on the drugs used, the specific regimen and...
5FU is another name for the chemotherapy drug fluorouacil. It is a commonly prescribed drug used to treat many cancers. According to Cancer Research UK, 5FU is an anti-metabolite and stops cells from working. While it prevents cancer cells from...
Femara is the brand name for the generic medication, letrozole. It belongs to a class of drugs known as aromatase inhibitors, which block production of estrogen. Femara treats postmenopausal women with breast cancer or for women with infertility...
Mouth sores and associated complications commonly go hand in hand with chemotherapy treatment. "The Chemotherapy Source Book" reports that up to 40 percent of patients receiving chemotherapy as the main source of treatment will experience mouth...
Ovarian cancer generally has minimal symptoms in its early stages, so many women do not find out they have the disease until it is in its advanced stages. A test designed specifically for ovarian cancer patients called the CA-125, helps doctors...
Chemotherapy is a commonly used treatment for cancer, but it is not without side effects. Depending on the chemotherapy drug, side effects can vary, and not everyone will experience every side effect. Some herbs and supplements are effective in...
Chemotherapy agents are drugs that specifically target rapidly growing cells. This makes it especially useful in treating cancers, which are diseases caused by abnormally growing and dividing cells. Chemotherapy is administered systemically,...
Chemotherapy, a common treatment for breast cancer, is accompanied by side effects. Many of these side effects are similar to those of chemotherapy for other cancers, but others, such as cardiac problems, happen more often to people being treated...
Chemotherapy is the standard medical treatment for cancer. Chemotherapy drugs work by killing cancer cells, but they do have adverse effects. Common side effects include fatigue, nausea and vomiting, hair loss and loss of libido. Certain herbs...
FOLFIRI stands for three medications that combine to form a chemotherapy regimen used to treat advanced stage colon cancer. These medications are fluorouracil, leucovorin and irinotecan. FOLFIRI chemotherapy is administered through intravenous...
The National Cancer Institute reports that 1,479,350 new cases of cancer were diagnosed in 2009, and cancer caused 562,340 deaths in the United States that year. Cancer is commonly treated by a combination of therapies that may include...
A chemotherapy port is a small, circular plastic or metal button about the size of a quarter inserted below the skin. The port attaches a catheter and a vein. Chemotherapy drugs are administered via the port with a needle that fits into the port....
Chemo, or chemotherapy, involves the use of drugs to destroy cancer cells or stop them from multiplying, while radiation therapy is the use of high-powered radiation to destroy cancer cells. Cancer cells are more susceptible to both chemotherapy...
Peripheral neuropathy is a possible side effect of chemotherapy for cancer, and is a result of nerve damage in the arms and legs. This can cause pain, tingling, numbness, muscle weakness and temperature sensitivity in the arms, legs, hands and...
Using drugs to destroy cancer cells within the human body is a type of cancer treatment called chemotherapy (chemo). Chemotherapeutic drugs can be given orally, intravenously (IV) or by an injection and work by targeting and destroying cells that...
Chemotherapy, often referred to simply as chemo, is the treatment of cancer using drugs that halt the cell cycle and stop the growth of rapidly dividing cells. Chemo is a common treatment for cancer, but it comes with many side effects. Some of...
Cancer treatment using chemotherapy targets rapidly-growing cells. Unfortunately, cancer cells are not the only ones with relatively short life-cycles. As a result, healthy cells often become casualties in the fight against cancer, and it is their...
Chemotherapy is a treatment used for many types of cancers, but it is not without side effects, some of which are long-term. Side effects vary, depending on the drugs used, the regimen followed and the individual patient. Before chemotherapy...
Chemotherapy is a common and effective treatment for many types of cancers. Chemotherapy drugs kill cancer cells, but can also damage rapidly dividing healthy cells of the mouth, skin, intestines, liver and other organs. While chemotherapy has...
When cancer attacks a part of the body, it does so by rapidly dividing abnormal cancerous cells. Chemotherapy, commonly referred to as "chemo," treats cancer with drugs intended to destroy cancer cells, slow down their rapid proliferation and...
Chemotherapy is a cancer treatment that's often prescribed as part of the entire treatment regimen. Chemotherapy consists of drugs that destroy cancer cells and can be effective, but those drugs are administered to the entire body and may end up...
Chemotherapy and radiation treatments used in fighting cancer cell growth also tend to interfere with other healthy and rapid cell growth. Because of the action of radiation and chemotherapy, blood-forming cells in the bone marrow and digestive...
TAC chemotherapy is a regimen used to treat breast cancer. It is called TAC because of the drugs that are used: docetaxel (brand name Taxotere), doxorubicin (brand name Adriamycin) and cyclophosphamide (brand name Cytoxan). Chemotherapy is...
Part of chemotherapy for cancer patients involves taking medications either orally or intravenously. With few exceptions, these cytotoxic medications can have significant side effects. Fortunately, there are medications that can temper the effects...
Chemotherapy is commonly used to treat breast cancer. While effective at destroying cancer cells, it also destroys healthy cells in the process, resulting in unwanted side effects. According the medical experts at Cancer Help UK, a doctor cannot...
