Chemotherapy is a treatment that has proven to be highly effective in treating different types of cancers. This treatment process basically involves the use of drugs which are either given orally to the patients or are given intravenously. Mainly two methods are used to treat cancer. In both the methods, chemotherapy drugs are used, one method uses single agent chemotherapy drugs and the other involves the use of combination chemotherapy drugs. As the names suggest, single agent chemotherapy treatment involves the use of a single type of drugs and combination chemotherapy treatment involves the use of a combination of various drugs. Experts suggest that the use of combination drugs is more result-oriented than the single agents treatment. As in single agents treatment only one drug or one type of drug is used, the cancer cells become resistant to the drug. However, in case of combination chemotherapy treatment, the cancer cells do not grow resistant to the drugs and the drugs remain effective. The method where combination chemotherapy drugs are used is called a chemotherapy regime / regimen. This regime is carried out in what’s called a chemotherapy schedule. The schedule contains various sessions or cycles where the chemotherapy treatment is done and sometimes is allowed for recovery (rest period) as chemotherapy could be hard on the body resulting in various side effects. The number of sessions in a chemotherapy regime and the time to complete each regime varies depending on the drugs used. Normally, it takes approximately three to six months depending on how the body responds.

Some of the Chemotherapy Regimes

There are many types of cancers and depending on the types, the chemotherapy regime is administered. It is difficult to enlist all chemotherapy regimens therefore; the list consists of some of the common types of chemotherapy regimes.

These were some of the examples of chemotherapy regimens used for different types of cancer. Chemotherapy regime may involve the use of two or more drugs depending upon the effectiveness of the combination. These combinations don’t allow the cancer cells to get resistant to the drugs and therefore continues to destroy the cells, recovering the body from cancer. The chemotherapy effectiveness of these combinations of  drugs also depends on the body part which is affected by the cancer and to the extent to which it has spread to the other parts. A point to note here is that a particular combination of drugs may work for one person but may not for the other. Therefore, every type of cancer has one or more chemotherapy regimens and they are administered according to their own effectiveness. The chemotherapy regime may also be changed by the doctor if the tumor shrinks and the pain persists as a different regime may be more effective in reducing the pain. Chemotherapy regimes that doctors administer on the patients mostly work but any combination could cause side effects. Some of the common side effects of such regimes include nausea or vomiting, hair loss and loss of appetite. Regardless of which chemotherapy regime is used, side effects are imminent therefore one need not worry if any of the mentioned side effects appear after or during the treatment. Without getting panicked, consult your doctor when such signs show up.