Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy is used to treat cancer. Chemotherapy treatment uses drugs or chemicals to kills cancerous cell. Chemotherapy is effective as drugs that are administered act on whole body and not only on affected area.
The duration of chemotherapy treatment depends on various factors including the type of cancer, the stage of cancer, the types of drugs that are administered as well as the expected toxicities of the drugs and the amount of time necessary to recover from these toxicities. Different chemotherapy treatment plans have been determined through clinical trials and research and by comparing them, chemotherapy with most benefit and tolerance is determined.

Chemotherapy treatment is often applied in cycles. Each treatment period is followed by rest period which is followed by treatment cycle and so on. Rest period or recovery period allows healthy cells to recover from damage. There are three things that plays role in determining length of chemotherapy. These are duration of the cycle, frequency of the cycle and no of cycles.

Duration of the cycle:
In chemotherapy treatment, drugs may be administered on a single day, for several continuous days, or continuously as a outpatient or as an inpatient. Chemotherapy treatment may be a single drug or a combination of drugs.

Frequency of the cycle:
Frequency of chemotherapy cycle is determined by research and clinical trials. Chemotherapy treatment cycle may repeat weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly.

The number of cycles:
Number of cycles or the length of chemotherapy is determined by your doctor and medical team using research and clinical trials.

Adjuvant chemotherapy (chemotherapy which is applied after surgery to remove all visible cancer) may last 4 to 6 months. In case of visible cancer, the length of chemotherapy treatment will depend upon the response of patient to treatment Chemotherapy treatment may continue for one or two cycles once after the disease disappears completely to maximize the chance of having attacked all microscopic cancerous cells. If cancer does not disappear completely but shrinks, chemotherapy can continue as long as it is tolerated and cancer does not grow. If disease grows, treatment will be stopped.

For each cancer, there is different chemotherapy treatment plan available. So, length of chemotherapy also differs for each treatment plan. Your chemotherapy schedule as well as length of chemotherapy is determined by your doctor and medical team.

Various factors that comprises in determining how long the chemo therapy will take are stage of the cancer, patient’s overall health condition, selection of chemotherapy drugs and response of patient to the treatment. Sometime, patient does not respond to particular treatment plan and doctor has to try a different regimen and then cycling the chemotherapy. In such case, length of chemotherapy extends.