Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy involves using drugs for the treatment of cancer. These drugs destroy cancer cells by entirely stopping or slowing down their growth. Chemotherapy is generally used to treat recurrent cancers (cancer cells re-emerging after treatment) or metastatic cancers (cancer cells that spread to other parts of the body). Chemotherapy drugs are administered orally, intravenously, or injected directly into the fluid surrounding the brain or the abdominal cavity.

There are three types of chemotherapy:

• Neo adjuvant chemotherapy: Delivered before surgical or radiation procedures. It is recommended when tumours are too large to operate or when their location makes surgery difficult. These drugs help reduce tumour size to enable surgery.
• Adjuvant chemotherapy: Delivered after surgery or radiation therapy to eliminate any remaining cancer cells not visible in imaging tests. This helps reduce the chances of cancer recurrence.
• Palliative chemotherapy: Recommended mainly to manage cancer-related symptoms and improve quality of life.

Chemotherapy drugs may also affect rapidly dividing healthy cells in areas such as the intestines and mouth, which can cause side effects. These effects usually reduce after treatment completion.

Common side effects include:

• Hair loss
• Vomiting or nausea
• Anaemia
• Fatigue
• Diarrhoea
• Mouth sores
• Low platelet count