Chemotherapy (say: kee-moe-ther-ah-pee) is the use of medicines to treat cancer. Cancer is a disease that causes normal cells in the body to grow out of control. If left untreated, these cells can grow throughout the body making the person very sick. Chemotherapy medicines stop the growth of cancer cells. As the cancer goes away, the patient starts to feel better.
Both adults and kids can get cancer. No matter what age a person is, chemotherapy (also called chemo) may be used to treat the cancer. Sometimes people need to stay in the hospital to get chemo. But often, a person can just come to the hospital or doctor's office for treatment and go home afterward.
How Is Chemo Given?
Just as you can get other medicines by taking a pill or getting a shot, there are several ways to get chemo. A doctor called an oncologist (say: on-kah-loh-jist) will make the decision about which type of chemo is best for the patient. A person might take a pill or liquid or get an injection (shot). Another way of giving chemo is through an IV line, which is short for an intravenous (say: in-truh-vee-nus) line.
An IV line is a tiny tube that's put into a vein through someone's skin, usually on the arm. The IV line is attached to a bag or pump that holds the medicine. The chemo medicine flows from the bag or pump into the vein, which puts the medicine into the blood. Once the medicine is in the blood, it can travel through the body and attack cancer cells.
Sometimes doctors will insert a permanent IV line into a larger vein in the upper chest. This type of IV line is also called a catheter (say ka-thuh-ter). It allows a person to get chemo and other medicines easily without having to get a needle in the arm each time. Although it's called permanent, this type of catheter only stays in place until the person is finished with his or her cancer treatments. In addition to letting a person get chemo without having a new IV line inserted each time, a catheter lets doctors and nurses take blood samples and give other treatments without sticking the person with a needle.
Some cancers are treated with chemo alone. Others require a combination of treatments including chemo, radiation, and surgery. Like chemo, radiation kills cancer cells. Surgery can be used to remove big lumps of cancer cells called tumors.
Both adults and kids can get cancer. No matter what age a person is, chemotherapy (also called chemo) may be used to treat the cancer. Sometimes people need to stay in the hospital to get chemo. But often, a person can just come to the hospital or doctor's office for treatment and go home afterward.
How Is Chemo Given?
Just as you can get other medicines by taking a pill or getting a shot, there are several ways to get chemo. A doctor called an oncologist (say: on-kah-loh-jist) will make the decision about which type of chemo is best for the patient. A person might take a pill or liquid or get an injection (shot). Another way of giving chemo is through an IV line, which is short for an intravenous (say: in-truh-vee-nus) line.
An IV line is a tiny tube that's put into a vein through someone's skin, usually on the arm. The IV line is attached to a bag or pump that holds the medicine. The chemo medicine flows from the bag or pump into the vein, which puts the medicine into the blood. Once the medicine is in the blood, it can travel through the body and attack cancer cells.
Sometimes doctors will insert a permanent IV line into a larger vein in the upper chest. This type of IV line is also called a catheter (say ka-thuh-ter). It allows a person to get chemo and other medicines easily without having to get a needle in the arm each time. Although it's called permanent, this type of catheter only stays in place until the person is finished with his or her cancer treatments. In addition to letting a person get chemo without having a new IV line inserted each time, a catheter lets doctors and nurses take blood samples and give other treatments without sticking the person with a needle.
Some cancers are treated with chemo alone. Others require a combination of treatments including chemo, radiation, and surgery. Like chemo, radiation kills cancer cells. Surgery can be used to remove big lumps of cancer cells called tumors.
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