If you have a question concerning Cancer Services at Benedictine Hospital please call 845-334-3015
Medical oncology refers to the use of medicines to treat cancer. Medical oncologists are the physicians that practice medical oncology. Chemotherapy involves a chemical that may be a hormone, chemical, or biological agent like an antibody, with the goal of traveling in the bloodstream to kill cancer cells. Unlike radiation and surgery, which target specific parts of the body, chemotherapy treats the entire body, seeking to destroy cancer cells that may be trying to spread away from where the cancer began.
For more than a half of century, chemotherapy has been successfully used to treat cancer. Many drugs have been studied in clinical trials and it is on the basis of these studies—and the physician’s experience—that recommendations are made. Your medical oncologist will meet with you, review your medical history, and determine your overall health status prior to making any recommendations for your treatment. He or she will discuss with you your specific wishes, needs, and special circumstances. Together you will develop a treatment plan that is right for you.
Most chemotherapeutic agents work by killing rapidly dividing cells like cancer cells. The drugs interfere with cell growth so that cells cannot divide or are damaged and cannot repair themselves and then eventually die. Agents work by turning off the growth of the cell (hormonal agents), by attaching to the cell (antibodies) and helping your immune system fight the cancer, or by changing the cancer’s internal communication network, thus causing cell death (biological agents). By destroying cancer cells, the chemotherapeutic agents can be used to cure cancer, shrink tumors for surgery, keep the cancer from spreading, relieve symptoms, and prolong survival.
There are several ways in which the chemotherapy can be given:
Many cancers are better treated by delivering different chemotherapeutic agents together and sometimes even with radiation. Because chemotherapy and radiation target and kill cells differently, using them together often results in better cure rates. Chemotherapy is administered in cycles, including taking the drugs daily, weekly, or monthly, either for a few months or several months. After each treatment there is a recovery period to allow your body to rest and produce new healthy cells.
Though chemotherapy
has its side effects, there have been many advances in preventing them.
Hair loss can occur with many but not with all agents. Likewise nausea
and vomiting are common with some agents. However, today there are very
effective medications that can be used to prevent nausea. You can be
certain that your doctor and nurse will have a plan to prevent and manage
the side effects before you receive any chemotherapy.
Oral and topical agents are usually taken or administered at home. Intravenous
treatments may be given in your physician’s office or in a hospital
setting. Safety will always be the first priority and being admitted
to the hospital for a short stay may be appropriate.
Your team of doctors, nurses, and specialists will guide you through your treatment and help address all of your needs.