It may sometimes be possible to deliver the drugs straight into the artery that supplies blood to the tumour itself. This means that higher doses of chemotherapy can go directly to the tumour. Chemotherapy may sometimes be used after surgery, to try to destroy any cancer cells that were too small to be removed or which may have spread to other parts of the body. Chemotherapy is always used in the treatment of some types of soft tissue sarcomas, but very rarely used in other types. You should ask your doctor whether chemotherapy will be used to treat your type of soft tissue sarcoma.
Chemotherapy is given as a course of treatment, which usually lasts a few days.
This is followed by a rest period of a few weeks to allow your body to recover from any side effects of the treatment. The number of courses you have will depend on the type of cancer you have and how well it is responding to the drugs. Chemotherapy may be given to you as an out-patient, but often it will mean spending a few days in hospital. Although chemotherapy can cause unpleasant side effects some people have very few side effects at all. Any side effects that do occur can often be well controlled with medicine.