Palliative chemotherapy is also known as palliative systemic chemotherapy and is used to prolong life for the patients while improving the symptoms of cancer. Unlike other chemotherapy treatments, palliative chemotherapy does not help in treating or curing the cancer. If no other treatment works to treat the cancer or worsens the condition of the patient then palliative care is adopted to alleviate the symptoms of cancer.

Many remain unaware of the fact that palliative chemotherapy is not helpful in curing cancer but only in relieving the pain caused due to cancer, especially in the treatment for metastatic cancer, when the treatment focuses on improving the quality of life of the patients. Hence, it is important for the patients and their loved ones to thoroughly understand the treatment method and how it works. Palliative chemotherapy is a relatively new mechanism that has been developed with cancer research. Knowing the benefits and risks of a treatment such as palliative chemotherapy is essential as it does not guarantee survival. It only helps the patient to lead a comparatively better life.

How does Palliative Chemotherapy Work?

How palliative chemotherapy works can be explained in three simple points:

1. It helps relieve the symptoms by attempting to shrink the tumor to a considerable extent. Pain and breathlessness are the common symptoms that are alleviated with the use of palliative chemotherapy.
2. It slows down the metastasis of cancer by slowing down the growth of cancer. Although it may sound similar to what any other chemotherapy treatment does but it only slows down the process and does not put a stop to it.
3. The above mentioned points help the patient to lead a better quality life by taking care of the patients for as long as the body does not start to respond negatively to this treatment as well.

Only when all the options of treatment for cancer are explored, tried and tested, the doctor comes to a decision of giving palliative chemo to the patient. It is difficult for the doctors to convey this to the patient and to his / her loved ones. This is because the goal of the treatment is quite clear; it is only to help the patient lead a life with less pain and discomfort. Whether to go for palliative chemotherapy is a very personal decision. Along with considering your personal goals, consulting with your loved ones and asking the doctor about the benefits and risk of palliative treatment could help you take a decision.