Depending on the combination of agents in the therapy, a patient may have some combination of pills or intravenous injections to undergo, administered according to a particular schedule. The exact timing of this break depends on the type of cancer and the chemotherapy combination being used, as well as a patient's response and tolerance. But, a hypothetical example might include receiving chemotherapy for three weeks in a row and then having a week off, then restarting again for three weeks, then a week off, and so on. For more specific information about chemotherapy, see OncoLink's Chemotherapy Menu . Radiation Therapy Radiation therapy is another commonly-used weapon in the fight against cancer.
Radiation kills cancer by damaging the DNA within the tumor cells.
The first, and most common, involves pointing a beam of radiation at the patient in a highly precise manner, focusing on the tumor. Sometimes these implants are temporary, and sometimes they are permanent. For temporary implants, the entire dose of radiation is usually delivered in about two days, and the patient must remain in the hospital during that time. After the seeds or wires have been in place for the prescribed number of hours, the radiation oncologist removes them and the patient can go home. Some highly selected patients may be referred for bone marrow transplants.