The type of treatment you are given for your cancer depends on many factors, particularly the type of cancer you have, where in the body it started, what the cancer cells look like under the microscope and how far they have spread, if at all. It can be just one drug or several drugs, taken from a choice of about 50 different drugs available.
Cancer is a disease of the body's cells.
Normally, all cells divide and reproduce themselves in an orderly and controlled manner. Sometimes cancer cells break away from a tumour and travel to other parts of the body via the bloodstream or lymphatic system. When the cancer cells reach other parts of the body they may settle and start to develop into new tumours. These are known as secondary cancers or metastases. Chemotherapy drugs work by interfering with the ability of a cancer cell to divide and reproduce itself.