Anticancer drugs disrupt the cancer cells ability to grow and multiply. Chemotherapy can be given in several ways. The best way to get the drug to the cancer site depends on the particular type of cancer and the drug or combination of drugs used. Once in the blood, an anticancer drug is carried throughout the body to reach as many cancer cells as possible How fast the cells are destroyed may vary with different medicines and types of cancers. Anticancer drugs can affect normal tissue also, because they act on rapidly dividing cells in the body.
Most normal cells are able to recover quickly when the treatment is over.
The chemotherapy can be given in a variety of ways such as into a vein, by mouth, into a muscle, or applied to the skin. Chemotherapy is usually given on an outpatient basis in the physician's office such as those at the Avera Cancer Institute. However, some chemotherapy regimes require a brief hospital stay where nurses have special training in chemotherapy administration such as at Avera McKennan Hospital and University Health Center. You may receive treatment daily, weekly or monthly. The chemotherapy s effectiveness is measured by frequent exams, blood tests, scans and x-rays.