Chemotherapy may be used in an attempt to cure cancer by killing cancer cells. The treatment may also be used to slow the growth of cancer cells, keep the cancer cells from spreading, or kill any cancer cells that may have spread to other parts of the body. Today, about 50 different chemotherapy agents are in use. Doctors often use a combination of drugs to provide the best chance of effectively killing the cancer cells. Chemotherapy may also be used in conjunction with other treatments, such as surgery and radiation therapy.
Chemotherapy drugs are very powerful agents.
Although they are designed to kill cancer cells, healthy cells in the body may also be damaged. Common side effects of the treatment can include nausea, vomiting, hair loss, fatigue, and increased risk for infection. Side effects occur because the drugs must travel through the body to the site of the tumor. Direct injection of the drugs into the site of the tumor may be possible in some instances. But the medication can quickly leave the tumor through the network of blood vessels that supply blood from the body.