Chemotherapy is a type of treatment used to treat cancer in which drugs or chemicals are used to kill the cancerous cell. Chemotherapy is a very broad term. Chemotherapy treatment depends on the type of cancer you have, stage of cancer and patient’s prognosis. In addition, duration or length of the chemotherapy treatment  varies according to the plan given by the oncologist

Chemotherapy treatment is given in cycles. Each treatment period is followed by rest period, which is followed by the treatment period and so on. Rest period allows the body’s normal, healthy cells to recover from the damage. Usually chemotherapy treatment lasts for 3 to 6 months. Length of chemotherapy depends on  duration of the cycle, frequency of the cycle, and the number of cycles.

Duration of the cycle
In chemotherapy treatment, single drug or a combination of drugs can be used to treat cancer. Duration of the treatment may be a single day, several consecutive days or continuous as an outpatient or as an inpatient. Treatment can last for minutes, hours, or days, depending on the treatment plan. Duration of the cycle includes a treatment period and a rest or recovery period.

Frequency of the cycle
Chemotherapy treatment may repeat weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly. Cycle is defined in monthly intervals often.

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 applied after surgery) can take 4-6 months to eradicate cancer. It is commonly used for treating breast and colon cancer. However, for cancers of the testis, Hodgkin and non-Hodgkin lymphoma, and leukemia, duration of chemotherapy treatment may extend up to a year.
In case of visible cancer, the length of chemotherapy treatment will depend upon the response of the patient to therapy. Chemotherapy treatment may continue for one or two cycles once the disease disappears completely to maximize the chances of having attacked all the microscopic cancerous cells. If the cancer does not disappear completely but shrinks, chemotherapy can continue as long as it is tolerated and the cancer does not grow. If disease grows, treatment will be stopped.

Chemotherapy treatment can be given to patients at home, in the doctor’s office, clinic, outpatient department of hospital or in hospital. Doctor asked patients to stay in the hospital at the beginning of chemotherapy as they can check for any side effects and change the dose if needed. Chemotherapy drugs are administered using different ways including orally, intravenously, injection, topically. Any one of the way is used for administering chemotherapy  from so many ways available.

Length of chemotherapy treatment depends on the type of cancer, stage of cancer, patient’s response to the drugs, patients’ health, ability to tolerate the drugs, and the types of drugs given.