Chemotherapy works by damaging cancer cells that are dividing. It travels around the body in the blood stream, attacking cells. The cells most affected by chemotherapy are those which divide rapidly. This means that both cancer cells and normal cells are affected. However, normal cells are able to renew themselves quickly.
Cancer cells recover more slowly and with more difficulty.
The rest periods between chemotherapy treatments allow your normal cells to recover. However, as the cancer cells do not recover, more are killed with each treatment. Chemotherapy is planned by a medical oncologist in consultation with you and is usually started 1-5 weeks after surgery. It is most often given by an injection or through a drip. Chemotherapy is given in cycles.