Which cancers are treated with chemotherapy

Anti-tumor antibiotics are different from antibiotics used to treat infections. A research review showed that anti-tumor antibiotics are chemicals produced by microorganisms that help destroy cancer cells. Anti-tumor antibiotics work by uncoiling strands of DNA inside cancer cells and preventing them from replicating. The following medications fall into this category:.

Corticosteroids , or just steroids, are hormone-like drugs used in the treatment of many illnesses. They may be used during chemotherapy to directly treat cancer or help prevent gastric side effects and allergic reactions caused by other drugs. A few of these include:. Chemotherapy can be used by itself or along with other treatment options to target cancer.

Here are some of the other treatments your healthcare professional may recommend. Targeted therapies are drug therapies that aim to kill cancer cells by targeting the following that are unique to cancer:. Unlike chemotherapy, targeted therapies specifically target cancer cells and mostly avoid damaging healthy cells.

Immunotherapy is a drug therapy that boosts your immune system to help your body recognize and kill cancer cells. Some types of cancers need certain hormone levels to grow. Hormone therapies help inhibit the growth of cancer cells by changing hormone levels in your body. In some cases, the best option may be to remove the cancer from your body surgically. Surgery works best for cancers that are localized in one area. Radiation therapy uses low doses of radiation to kill cancer cells by damaging their DNA.

It not only affects cancer cells but also healthy cells as well. It commonly leads to side effects such as:. There are many drugs that can be used during chemotherapy. Your healthcare professional can help you find which drug is best for your particular situation. Chemotherapy can be used as the primary treatment for your cancer, or it may be combined with other treatments like:.

Radiation and chemotherapy are treatments for cancer. Side effects include easy bruising, mouth lesions, and infections. Chemotherapy can be a tough journey with ups and downs. Read our tips on what to expect and how to handle them. Manage Your Award. Grants Management Contacts. Prior Approvals. Annual Reporting and Auditing. Transfer of a Grant. Grant Closeout. Cancer Training at NCI. Resources for Trainees.

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Each 3-week period is called a treatment cycle. Several cycles make up a course of chemotherapy. A course usually lasts 3 months or more. Some cancers are treated with less recovery time between cycles. This is called a dose-dense schedule. It can make chemotherapy more effective against some cancers.

But it also increases the risk of side effects. Talk with your health care team about the best schedule for you. Intravenous IV chemotherapy. Many drugs require injection directly into a vein. This is called intravenous or IV chemotherapy. Treatment takes a few minutes to a few hours. Some IV drugs work better if you get them over a few days or weeks. You take them through a small pump you wear or carry.

This is called continuous infusion chemotherapy. Oral chemotherapy. You can take some drugs by mouth. They can be in a pill, capsule, or liquid. This means that you may be able to pick up your medication at the pharmacy and take it at home. Oral treatments for cancer are now more common.

Some of these drugs are given daily, and others are given less often. For example, a drug may be given daily for 4 weeks followed by a 2-week break. Injected chemotherapy. This is when you receive chemotherapy as a shot. The shot may be given in a muscle or injected under the skin. You may receive these shots in the arm, leg, or abdomen. Abdomen is the medical word for your belly.

Chemotherapy into an artery. An artery is a blood vessel that carries blood from your heart to another part of your body. Sometimes chemotherapy is injected into an artery that goes directly to the cancer. This is called intra-arterial or IA chemotherapy. Chemotherapy into the peritoneum or abdomen. For some cancers, medication might be placed directly in your abdomen. This type of treatment works for cancers involving the peritoneum. The peritoneum covers the surface of the inside of the abdomen and surrounds the intestines, liver, and stomach.