Chemotherapy drugs are given in a variety of ways. They are given orally, through pills, whereas some are injected intravenously. Some are injected into the muscle whereas others are implanted into the bladder or the abdominal cavity to get absorbed. In certain cases where the medication is destroyed by the stomach acids, the drug is administered through injections. Chemotherapy injection is induced either into the vein or into the muscles. Drugs are given to the patients by doctor with the help of chemotherapy nurse. In the absence of doctor, an experienced nurse can give chemotherapy drugs.

Before the drugs are administered to patients, doctors check the specific drugs; effects of the drugs on the body, how quickly they get absorbed and how they work. At times, the juices present in the stomach destroy different chemicals present in the drugs making it ineffective to give it orally as a pill. Some medications have proved better giving good results if given intravenously. Some are induced into the muscles depending upon the cancer and its stage. There are many options available for the treatment of cancer but the chemotherapy is the most preferred and effective treatment for cancer available today.

Chemotherapy is given either orally or intravenously, depending upon the convenience, strength, and the regimen of the drug that has been prescribed.

Chemotherapy subcutaneous injection

• For chemotherapy injection, short needles are required similar to the ones used by diabetics to inject insulin.
• The needle of the injection goes between the skin and the muscle but does not reach very deep into the muscle layer
• Subcutaneous injections are very common among a few kinds of biologic response modifiers apart from chemotherapy drugs
• Subcutaneous injections are also used when a patient’s platelet count is low, as they cause less bleeding compared to intra muscular injections.

Intra-muscular injections

• These injections are given into the muscle layer through the skin. Larger needles that can penetrate deep into the muscles are used for it. The medicines are put into the muscle tissues.
• Intra-muscular injections are absorbed more rapidly than the oral medicines but it administered very slowly compared to intravenous and subcutaneous administration.
• A popular method to eliminate nausea and diarrhea is through intra-muscular injection, as the treatment does not come in the way of stomach infection.
• As chemotherapy is quite harsh the treatment is given intra-muscularly
• Patients who have a low count of platelets, intra-muscular injection is avoided as this could lead further complication if there is bleeding within the muscles.

In some rare cases, the injected area is swollen or leads to infection. Doctors need to be very careful while injecting the patients. Patients on the other hand should keep the doctors informed if the swelling and pain persist for a long time. At times when the needle is induced into the body, especially during intravenous treatment, the drugs do not reach the veins and is spilled out. Proper care need to be taken in such cases and these should be administered only by professionals.

Chemotherapy injection is quite common among most cancer patients. The right method of administering chemotherapy drugs with the correct dosage is determined after many clinical trials. Based on these clinical trials, the drugs are administrated in the best appropriate manner. Patients should make sure that they eat well and take proper rest during the treatment as the treatment itself can exert the patients.